Regular Felix
Felix as Ben Kingsley
As a cantankerous old geezer
Just looking really sad.We've started both dogs on a rattlesnake vaccine. So we'll unclench our butts about letting them outside in about 3 months.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Felix is doing better today. Yesterday wasn't fun staying up late with him to make sure he was going to make it. He is going to pull through and he is mostly back to normal, except for giant spuds mckenzie nose where the snake bit him. To illustrate:
As a cantankerous old geezer
Just looking really sad.
We've started both dogs on a rattlesnake vaccine. So we'll unclench our butts about letting them outside in about 3 months.
As a cantankerous old geezerJust looking really sad.We've started both dogs on a rattlesnake vaccine. So we'll unclench our butts about letting them outside in about 3 months.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Last week M was out of town in Austin recuperating from her surgery. I was back in Albany stone sober (no really!) the whole week. It was kinda fun. I got a lot of practice on the drums, worked on my little art project (4 years and counting), and played with the dogs.
On Saturday, I went to pick M up and as we were driving through Cisco we noticed something that we had never noticed before. See below.
We arrogantly thought that we were the first ones ever to get that joke but we couldn't have been because the warehouse was empty and the fragrant scent of recently dried latex, vinyl, and pleather had long dissipated replaced by other business endeavors of equally bad taste. Cisco is the town where there is a dollar general across the street (an actual street, four lanes, with a median, not a highway, no embankment on either side, no canals, no zombie turkeys) from family dollar (we did not get a picture. no free advertising for them).
Later, however, the aliens came back and opened the store, injecting a fresh supply of bondage equipment and other education toys. (for those recommended to this site by M, sorry I have to please a diverse audience.)
In dog related news, we recently had the dogs prove a natural phenomenon to us. Everyone know that you can scare the blood out of a horned toad, in fact, out of its eyes. And though Texas Monthly beat us to the punch confirming this seemingly impossible myth, it is true. Felix and Oscar cornered a poor endangered horned toad and it shot'em up good with blood. Got Oscar right in the eye. This really pissed them off and they clawed at it mercilessly while barking at it. "Hey!," they'd say over and over. But the toad was perfectly fine if not freaked out. I was too pissed off at the dogs to take any pictures. Sorry. I just didn't understand how they could attack an endangered species.
We'll get pictures of the next thing they attack, promise.*
Before I go, here is one picture to scare you and another illustrating the generosity of Albany.
The teachers all donated goodies to keep M fed and her mind busy after her surgery. If any are reading this and aren't totally offended by the above...Thank You.
*Promise not valid in Missouri or France.
On Saturday, I went to pick M up and as we were driving through Cisco we noticed something that we had never noticed before. See below.
We arrogantly thought that we were the first ones ever to get that joke but we couldn't have been because the warehouse was empty and the fragrant scent of recently dried latex, vinyl, and pleather had long dissipated replaced by other business endeavors of equally bad taste. Cisco is the town where there is a dollar general across the street (an actual street, four lanes, with a median, not a highway, no embankment on either side, no canals, no zombie turkeys) from family dollar (we did not get a picture. no free advertising for them).
Later, however, the aliens came back and opened the store, injecting a fresh supply of bondage equipment and other education toys. (for those recommended to this site by M, sorry I have to please a diverse audience.)
In dog related news, we recently had the dogs prove a natural phenomenon to us. Everyone know that you can scare the blood out of a horned toad, in fact, out of its eyes. And though Texas Monthly beat us to the punch confirming this seemingly impossible myth, it is true. Felix and Oscar cornered a poor endangered horned toad and it shot'em up good with blood. Got Oscar right in the eye. This really pissed them off and they clawed at it mercilessly while barking at it. "Hey!," they'd say over and over. But the toad was perfectly fine if not freaked out. I was too pissed off at the dogs to take any pictures. Sorry. I just didn't understand how they could attack an endangered species.
We'll get pictures of the next thing they attack, promise.*
Before I go, here is one picture to scare you and another illustrating the generosity of Albany.
The teachers all donated goodies to keep M fed and her mind busy after her surgery. If any are reading this and aren't totally offended by the above...Thank You.
*Promise not valid in Missouri or France.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
A Two-Prong Attack
The saga continues. D and I decided to take matters into our own hands this weekend, so with a storm rolling in we hurriedly gathered our weapons.
While trying to minimize the environmental impact (this is a working ranch after all) we knew we had to act fast. Since bugs don't react well to soap we thought it might work just as well as expensive cans of poison. After preparing an arsenal of soapy water balloons, D got to work on preparing the field of battle.
The stage was set for our no holds barred assault.
D even came at them from another angle just to up our odds.
Though the water balloon contingent suffered many losses, we felt the assault was not only necessary, but effective.
(This is in no way an advertisement for Dish Network. They are worth about as much as the balloon carnage you see before you. And they are far less fun to deal with than bees.)
This was but just one prong of our attack. As fun as this prong was, it alone would not suffice. We had to attack from two sides to ensure victory.
We raided the BBQ aisle of the local grocery store. Though a duralog would have been best, we made due with lighter fluid, mesquite chips and strike-a-fire starters.
The final step was to sweep up the bee carnage and hope for the best.
The fire has been going for the better part of the weekend and only once have we heard the telltale buzzing from the chimney. I think this qualifies as blitzkrieg. Guess that German heritage in me came in handy. Die bastards.
The saga continues. D and I decided to take matters into our own hands this weekend, so with a storm rolling in we hurriedly gathered our weapons.
While trying to minimize the environmental impact (this is a working ranch after all) we knew we had to act fast. Since bugs don't react well to soap we thought it might work just as well as expensive cans of poison. After preparing an arsenal of soapy water balloons, D got to work on preparing the field of battle.
The stage was set for our no holds barred assault.
D even came at them from another angle just to up our odds.
Though the water balloon contingent suffered many losses, we felt the assault was not only necessary, but effective.
(This is in no way an advertisement for Dish Network. They are worth about as much as the balloon carnage you see before you. And they are far less fun to deal with than bees.)
This was but just one prong of our attack. As fun as this prong was, it alone would not suffice. We had to attack from two sides to ensure victory.
We raided the BBQ aisle of the local grocery store. Though a duralog would have been best, we made due with lighter fluid, mesquite chips and strike-a-fire starters.
The final step was to sweep up the bee carnage and hope for the best.
The fire has been going for the better part of the weekend and only once have we heard the telltale buzzing from the chimney. I think this qualifies as blitzkrieg. Guess that German heritage in me came in handy. Die bastards.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Life's a bee, and then you die
So the universe has a sense of humor. Or at least the little part that we currently occupy.
After much life, job, health, etc. stress over the past few weeks, things came to a head this afternoon. I'll spare you the soap opera and just say that life has handed me a few lemons lately, but today I decided to just laugh and hope the bees aren't attracted to my lemonade. While letting out the puppies after school today, I see the pre-teen boy who mows our yard walk by and he tells me he can't finish mowing our yard. He goes on to explain that he noticed a considerable number of bees hanging around our chimney earlier today. He is afraid the mower will stir them up and they will all come after him. No problem, we'll wait till they leave and I'll give him a call. I go back inside to see what Oprah can teach me today and hear a funny sound. I walk over to the fireplace and discover that the bees apparently moved into our fireplace sometime today. Hmmm...Interesting dilemma. So I make sure the fireplace is secure and figure that D's almost home and we can figure it out together. A while later, our lawn mowing friend comes running up to our door and says he saw a swarm of bees and followed them to...can you guess? I'll give you a minute
.
.
.
.
.
Our chimney!
We walk outside and sure enough, the entire top of the chimney is enveloped in a black cloud of death, I mean bees. So now I get a little nervous. OK, call the landlord, get the exterminator wheels moving. OK, D gets home, we look at the bees.....hmmm.....then we go our separate ways. Two hours later, I come home from a meeting and notice that the buzzing has really gotten loud. I walk into the living room and see the window covered in bees trying to get out. Yes, out. Inexplicably they have found a way into the house. Shit. I leave a very polite message on the landlord's answering machine, close off the room, stuff towels under the door and immediately google Africanized bees. Not long ago Texas Monthly informed me that Abilene has the largest concentration of Killer Bees in the country. Of course. Where else would they be? Or bee?
So D gets home shortly thereafter and we start to problem solve (I'm going to completely leave out any mention of panicking that may or may not have happened). We try to open the other not-so-bee-covered windows and see if they'll just fly out. No. So we decide to try to open their window of choice, pop off the screen and hope for the best. D volunteers, of course, and I load him up with 3 hats, 2 scarves, 2 pairs of gloves, a down coat and a pillow case over his head and I wait in the yard with a fly swatter wondering if I should just call 911 now. Fortunately, the whole thing goes off without a hitch and the bees leave.
We are so busy shooing them out and marveling at how they aren't attacking that we forget to worry about how they got there in the first place. Before you know it, we are waving our arms around and running from the room once again. Shit. OK, Daniel goes back in with towels and shoves them into any possible bee-sized hole he can find. Then we open the window and shoo out the new bees. Meanwhile a wonderful co worker of mine is trying to track down a guy she knows that comes to people's homes, collects their problem bees and takes them away. No poison needed. We're still waiting to see who wins the bee race. Will it bee (hee hee) the landlord's exterminator or bee keeper who doesn't answer his phone?
Tune in next time for the gripping conclusion of When Bees Attack...Your Living Room.
So the universe has a sense of humor. Or at least the little part that we currently occupy.
After much life, job, health, etc. stress over the past few weeks, things came to a head this afternoon. I'll spare you the soap opera and just say that life has handed me a few lemons lately, but today I decided to just laugh and hope the bees aren't attracted to my lemonade. While letting out the puppies after school today, I see the pre-teen boy who mows our yard walk by and he tells me he can't finish mowing our yard. He goes on to explain that he noticed a considerable number of bees hanging around our chimney earlier today. He is afraid the mower will stir them up and they will all come after him. No problem, we'll wait till they leave and I'll give him a call. I go back inside to see what Oprah can teach me today and hear a funny sound. I walk over to the fireplace and discover that the bees apparently moved into our fireplace sometime today. Hmmm...Interesting dilemma. So I make sure the fireplace is secure and figure that D's almost home and we can figure it out together. A while later, our lawn mowing friend comes running up to our door and says he saw a swarm of bees and followed them to...can you guess? I'll give you a minute
.
.
.
.
.
Our chimney!
We walk outside and sure enough, the entire top of the chimney is enveloped in a black cloud of death, I mean bees. So now I get a little nervous. OK, call the landlord, get the exterminator wheels moving. OK, D gets home, we look at the bees.....hmmm.....then we go our separate ways. Two hours later, I come home from a meeting and notice that the buzzing has really gotten loud. I walk into the living room and see the window covered in bees trying to get out. Yes, out. Inexplicably they have found a way into the house. Shit. I leave a very polite message on the landlord's answering machine, close off the room, stuff towels under the door and immediately google Africanized bees. Not long ago Texas Monthly informed me that Abilene has the largest concentration of Killer Bees in the country. Of course. Where else would they be? Or bee?
So D gets home shortly thereafter and we start to problem solve (I'm going to completely leave out any mention of panicking that may or may not have happened). We try to open the other not-so-bee-covered windows and see if they'll just fly out. No. So we decide to try to open their window of choice, pop off the screen and hope for the best. D volunteers, of course, and I load him up with 3 hats, 2 scarves, 2 pairs of gloves, a down coat and a pillow case over his head and I wait in the yard with a fly swatter wondering if I should just call 911 now. Fortunately, the whole thing goes off without a hitch and the bees leave.
We are so busy shooing them out and marveling at how they aren't attacking that we forget to worry about how they got there in the first place. Before you know it, we are waving our arms around and running from the room once again. Shit. OK, Daniel goes back in with towels and shoves them into any possible bee-sized hole he can find. Then we open the window and shoo out the new bees. Meanwhile a wonderful co worker of mine is trying to track down a guy she knows that comes to people's homes, collects their problem bees and takes them away. No poison needed. We're still waiting to see who wins the bee race. Will it bee (hee hee) the landlord's exterminator or bee keeper who doesn't answer his phone?
Tune in next time for the gripping conclusion of When Bees Attack...Your Living Room.
Friday, April 07, 2006
February sucks and it lasted till Friday
Since my last update, the dogs have taken a back seat to family death, injury, and illness. I'd been pretty bitter about it all until today. I'll explain.
Last week, my grandfather, died. Before you get all bleary eyed and apologetic, he was really old, 86. He got away with being a functional alcoholic (he put the fun in functional alcoholic) and a chain smoker till he was in his early eighties. No cancer, no disease of any kind, unless being a curmugeon is a disease.
Grandpa was also "the man." No, not the way Sean Connery uses it, he was management for U.S. Steel. He and my mom were total opposites (in that way and others (though not in stubbornness)) Good thing she moved to labor-loving liberal Texas, huh. I don't know much more than that. I really only saw him a handful of times in my adult life. Mostly what I remember about him was that he always had polaroid camera with him and he used to pretend to close the car door on his leg to get a laugh out of me.
For numerous reasons, I didn't go to the funeral. One of which was that M was laid up at the time.
As most of you know, M has scoliosis or curvature of the spine. When she was 16, she had her spine fused. The now straight spine had to be held in place with titanium rods. The top of the rods would occasionally snag on a muscle or nerve temporarily. So far, the snag hasn't been temporary. So now she is in Austin seeing what is what from her orthopedic surgeon.
So while she is dealing with that, I get a stomach virus. That was Monday. Today is the first day that I've had ful meal. It was the best pizza I've ever tasted.
While all of this was taking place, M and I went up to Fort Worth for my brother's 30th birthday. Here are some pictures of the dogs from that trip.
Since my last update, the dogs have taken a back seat to family death, injury, and illness. I'd been pretty bitter about it all until today. I'll explain.
Last week, my grandfather, died. Before you get all bleary eyed and apologetic, he was really old, 86. He got away with being a functional alcoholic (he put the fun in functional alcoholic) and a chain smoker till he was in his early eighties. No cancer, no disease of any kind, unless being a curmugeon is a disease.
Grandpa was also "the man." No, not the way Sean Connery uses it, he was management for U.S. Steel. He and my mom were total opposites (in that way and others (though not in stubbornness)) Good thing she moved to labor-loving liberal Texas, huh. I don't know much more than that. I really only saw him a handful of times in my adult life. Mostly what I remember about him was that he always had polaroid camera with him and he used to pretend to close the car door on his leg to get a laugh out of me.
For numerous reasons, I didn't go to the funeral. One of which was that M was laid up at the time.
As most of you know, M has scoliosis or curvature of the spine. When she was 16, she had her spine fused. The now straight spine had to be held in place with titanium rods. The top of the rods would occasionally snag on a muscle or nerve temporarily. So far, the snag hasn't been temporary. So now she is in Austin seeing what is what from her orthopedic surgeon.
So while she is dealing with that, I get a stomach virus. That was Monday. Today is the first day that I've had ful meal. It was the best pizza I've ever tasted.
While all of this was taking place, M and I went up to Fort Worth for my brother's 30th birthday. Here are some pictures of the dogs from that trip.
Oscar and Gracie. She really isn't so bad, she is just old. Don't worry, she didn't bite the puppies.
Doin the freak out!
This is what I call the 'tard picture. When they fight, their gums get dry and their lips get stuck like this and make them look very silly.
M and Oscar sleeping.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Lincoln and the formal education of puppies.
This past Monday, Oscar and Felix graduated from puppy training school. They were very indifferent* since their diplomas were neither food nor underwear. On Monday, they start the intermediate dog class. The dogs are still half-jerks and we want them to be 2 non-jerks.
Now for Lincoln...
As I sat on the couch this evening, sipping my rolling rock greenlight, I caught one of those one reel wonders
on TCM. I caught it in the middle,so I don't know what the theme was though I suspect it had something to do with patriotism and history as it was a reel from the late 40s, early 50s...and quite lame might I add.
So as I'm paying attention to Oscar, I noticed that some blind guy in a hospital is talking to Abraham Lincoln (no doubt a civil war soldier...I know he was blind because he was wearing a blind fold.) He recited the first half of the Gettysburg Address, then lincoln finished off the second part. As actor Lincoln finished up the Address, I noticed that the Gettysburg Address ends thusly: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Notice the familiar phrase, "nation under God." Well, I read a long article in the Atlantic about Lincoln and though he was a Christian, he was not evangelical. Then I remember learning that the Eisenhower administration had put the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. I didn't believe that Lincoln would have put that phrase in, and after 5 minutes of research, I found digitized versions of the first two drafts of the Address at the LC website. And guess what?!, no "under God" to be found. If you don't believe me, see for yourself http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/gadd/gadrft.html
*=Yes I did that on purpose, it is a joke.
This past Monday, Oscar and Felix graduated from puppy training school. They were very indifferent* since their diplomas were neither food nor underwear. On Monday, they start the intermediate dog class. The dogs are still half-jerks and we want them to be 2 non-jerks.
Now for Lincoln...
As I sat on the couch this evening, sipping my rolling rock greenlight, I caught one of those one reel wonders
on TCM. I caught it in the middle,so I don't know what the theme was though I suspect it had something to do with patriotism and history as it was a reel from the late 40s, early 50s...and quite lame might I add.
So as I'm paying attention to Oscar, I noticed that some blind guy in a hospital is talking to Abraham Lincoln (no doubt a civil war soldier...I know he was blind because he was wearing a blind fold.) He recited the first half of the Gettysburg Address, then lincoln finished off the second part. As actor Lincoln finished up the Address, I noticed that the Gettysburg Address ends thusly: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."
Notice the familiar phrase, "nation under God." Well, I read a long article in the Atlantic about Lincoln and though he was a Christian, he was not evangelical. Then I remember learning that the Eisenhower administration had put the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. I didn't believe that Lincoln would have put that phrase in, and after 5 minutes of research, I found digitized versions of the first two drafts of the Address at the LC website. And guess what?!, no "under God" to be found. If you don't believe me, see for yourself http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/gadd/gadrft.html
*=Yes I did that on purpose, it is a joke.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
| Adj. | 1. | cityfied - being or having the customs or manners or dress of a city person |
Amen.
I guess I was feeling a little too comfortable in this rural situation. The universe needed to remind me that I'm a city girl.
Today, in a rush, I came home during a 30 minute lunch to give the dogs a mid-day break. This is usually D's job as he has a long lunch, but is currently out of town. Anyway I ran inside, kicked off my painful shoes and opened the door for the pups. I stayed inside to fix a quick lunch. Suddenly a flurry of barking drew me outside to find the dogs barking madly at a neighbor walking by. No biggie. Since I was shoeless, I had walked out into the yard by hopping from rock to rock laid out in a nice little path. I turned around to go back inside along my rocky path and looked down. This is what I saw.
I had just stepped directly over this lovely little Texas hazard. I froze, backed away out on the grass, grabbed the dogs and made a rather wide circular path back inside. Knowing my tendency to freak out, and not wanting to appear completely ignorant of snake types, (which I am) I immediately do a Google image search on rattlesnakes. Yep, I'd say that's a positive ID. To cover my bases I even checked out pictures of bull snakes just in case I was mistaken. I wasn't.
I then realized that it was time to return to work, but had just enough time to reach back out the door and snap that quick photo. Not bad for leaning way over and just hoping I'm pointing the camera in the right direction, no? Anyway rest assured, universe, I know my place. No more cute shoes out here. I've got my boots and I'll wear them with a dress if I have to.
By the way, this is now what I intend to keep just outside the back door.
All ax wielding maniacs are welcome to come by and try to chop us to bits with our own ax. Just mind the snakes.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Conspiracy Theories (Mel Gibson not included)
The Oscars.....
I just can't seem to stay away from the show that takes 4 hours of my life every year. Of course, Jon Stewart hosting made the whole thing easier to swallow. Anyway, while watching the obligatory performances of nominated songs, I figured out the answer to an oft speculated conspiracy. Get ready......this is good.
Dolly Parton is Elvis.
Take a moment and let this sink in.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Mind-blowing, no? Many believe that Elvis is alive and in hiding. I just can't fathom that if Elvis is still alive that he's just laying low. What better way to stick around and maintain a music career than create an alter ego? I mean, Garth Brooks could have taken a few notes from Elvis in the mulit-persona arena. I mean what was up with that Chris guy anyway? Allow me to present a few points to ponder:
m
The Oscars.....
I just can't seem to stay away from the show that takes 4 hours of my life every year. Of course, Jon Stewart hosting made the whole thing easier to swallow. Anyway, while watching the obligatory performances of nominated songs, I figured out the answer to an oft speculated conspiracy. Get ready......this is good.
Dolly Parton is Elvis.
Take a moment and let this sink in.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Mind-blowing, no? Many believe that Elvis is alive and in hiding. I just can't fathom that if Elvis is still alive that he's just laying low. What better way to stick around and maintain a music career than create an alter ego? I mean, Garth Brooks could have taken a few notes from Elvis in the mulit-persona arena. I mean what was up with that Chris guy anyway? Allow me to present a few points to ponder:
- Dolly just turned 60, Elvis would be 71 (pretty close, and he'd want to become someone younger to be able to stick around a little longer)
- Both are southern and proud of it.
- Both are talented performers. Now don't get me wrong, but they do both have an inexplicable, devoted, cultish following.
- Theme parks dedicated to both. I mean, there's no Bananarama Land, Or Depeche Mode Water Park.
- Both have slightly bizarre and definitely unique "looks".
- Elvis died in '77, just 2 or 3 years after Dolly started making occasional television appearances like Candid Camera.
- Elvis could have easily recorded Dolly's early music at Graceland with little outside help.
- Both starred in some memorable movies and some utterly forgettable ones. (OK, that's not exclusive to Dolly & Elvis.
m
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
If you name your dog Rex, will he have an Oedipal complex?
I can't believe that I have become one of those people. D and I took Felix to the vet today because he has relapsed in the housetraining department. Our first thought was...."Well he's being an asshole." Then we let paranoia take over and began to wonder about possible bladder problems. Well, after 2 1/2 minutes at the vet we hear, "He's a headcase. Congratulations." How embarrassing to out your own doggie hypochondria. The vet (a huge fan of Jack Russells and has two of his own) offered some sage advice as we left his office. "Good Luck." Hey, it was free.
Great, he's not even 4 months old and we're dealing with psychological problems. Maybe I can read up on my Freud, have Felix lay down on his doggie couch and tell me how he really feels about his sudden lack of urinary control. (I think that leopard print on the couch really adds something!)
He's always been weird, but dogs just are sometimes, right? So now after six weeks of puppy school, we've learned that we have one dog that's really smart (and a headcase) and one dog that's very athletic, but not so quick on the uptake. So we've got a neurotic bedwetter and a dumb jock? OK, alright, take it easy, no big deal. We just need an artist/drama student, a hardcore ROTC cadet and an FFA member and we've got our own Dog High School population! I wonder if we could actually simulate a genuine adolescent experience with the right combination of dogs. It boggles the mind.
Anyway, here's the meat and potatoes of the blog: (that was for you, Mr. Lash. Bob's your uncle.)
Spoiled rotten brats.....No wonder they have problems.
I can't believe that I have become one of those people. D and I took Felix to the vet today because he has relapsed in the housetraining department. Our first thought was...."Well he's being an asshole." Then we let paranoia take over and began to wonder about possible bladder problems. Well, after 2 1/2 minutes at the vet we hear, "He's a headcase. Congratulations." How embarrassing to out your own doggie hypochondria. The vet (a huge fan of Jack Russells and has two of his own) offered some sage advice as we left his office. "Good Luck." Hey, it was free.
Great, he's not even 4 months old and we're dealing with psychological problems. Maybe I can read up on my Freud, have Felix lay down on his doggie couch and tell me how he really feels about his sudden lack of urinary control. (I think that leopard print on the couch really adds something!)
He's always been weird, but dogs just are sometimes, right? So now after six weeks of puppy school, we've learned that we have one dog that's really smart (and a headcase) and one dog that's very athletic, but not so quick on the uptake. So we've got a neurotic bedwetter and a dumb jock? OK, alright, take it easy, no big deal. We just need an artist/drama student, a hardcore ROTC cadet and an FFA member and we've got our own Dog High School population! I wonder if we could actually simulate a genuine adolescent experience with the right combination of dogs. It boggles the mind.
Anyway, here's the meat and potatoes of the blog: (that was for you, Mr. Lash. Bob's your uncle.)
Spoiled rotten brats.....No wonder they have problems.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Hey junior campers...
Yesterday, I expressed to Mel-a-rific how I was nervous about taking the dogs camping as long as there were other dogs coming. At dog class (aka puppy kindergarten) both Oscar and Felix growl and snap and bark at the other puppies in the class and we just can't seem to figure out how to get them to be nice.
So yesterday, as Mel's e-mail as the impetus, we held our breath and let Oscar and Felix have at the ranch dogs.
As one website put it, "puppies will annoy adult dogs incessantly." You'd of thought Fritz was covered with gravy the way they kept licking his face. Fritz quickly quashed that activity simply by growling. You can see the effect it had on the puppies
Gaby was more standoffish than Fritz. She never really warmed up to the puppies as you can see here. Both Gaby and Fritz are somewhat elderly dogs so they made very half-assed attempts to chase off Oscar and Felix.
After a while, both puppies did exactly what "the literature" told us they would do. They became submissive to Fritz and laid over on their back. It was an accepted invitation for Fritz to sniff them out.
In the end, it went better than we had expected as Oscar, Felix, and Fritz became friends. Of course, my camera missed the best part of the this adventure: Fritz walked over to some bushes with Oscar following. Oscar was standing underneath Fritz and was curious as to why Fritz was lifting his leg. After his golden shower, both he and Felix got a bath.
So for those of you bringing dogs on the camping trip, beware, because they will be annoyed incessantly by Oscar and Felix
Yesterday, I expressed to Mel-a-rific how I was nervous about taking the dogs camping as long as there were other dogs coming. At dog class (aka puppy kindergarten) both Oscar and Felix growl and snap and bark at the other puppies in the class and we just can't seem to figure out how to get them to be nice.
So yesterday, as Mel's e-mail as the impetus, we held our breath and let Oscar and Felix have at the ranch dogs.
As one website put it, "puppies will annoy adult dogs incessantly." You'd of thought Fritz was covered with gravy the way they kept licking his face. Fritz quickly quashed that activity simply by growling. You can see the effect it had on the puppies
Gaby was more standoffish than Fritz. She never really warmed up to the puppies as you can see here. Both Gaby and Fritz are somewhat elderly dogs so they made very half-assed attempts to chase off Oscar and Felix.
After a while, both puppies did exactly what "the literature" told us they would do. They became submissive to Fritz and laid over on their back. It was an accepted invitation for Fritz to sniff them out.
In the end, it went better than we had expected as Oscar, Felix, and Fritz became friends. Of course, my camera missed the best part of the this adventure: Fritz walked over to some bushes with Oscar following. Oscar was standing underneath Fritz and was curious as to why Fritz was lifting his leg. After his golden shower, both he and Felix got a bath.
Then we decided to get rid of them.
So for those of you bringing dogs on the camping trip, beware, because they will be annoyed incessantly by Oscar and Felix
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
The return of manners...
Today I decided to install UNIX on my old laptop in the hopes that I can use it as a server and run databases off of it at work. As I was searching for a distribution to download (FreeBSD 4.5 in case anyone was interested), I came across the following thread: http://www.computing.net/unix/wwwboard/forum/6550.html
For anyone who hates rude assholes, check this out. It will make you feel good. Don't fuck with the online tech community.
Today I decided to install UNIX on my old laptop in the hopes that I can use it as a server and run databases off of it at work. As I was searching for a distribution to download (FreeBSD 4.5 in case anyone was interested), I came across the following thread: http://www.computing.net/unix/wwwboard/forum/6550.html
For anyone who hates rude assholes, check this out. It will make you feel good. Don't fuck with the online tech community.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Hey there bloggers...
A new discovery in pet ownership was made this past week.
Puppies don't shed!? Eggs don't ripen?!
So what is going on? Oscar and Felix are fast becoming adolsecent dogs. No longer are they soft, sac-less, 2lb. animals. It is actually a strain to pick each of them up with one hand. And forget about holding them in one hand while they struggle against being brushed.
I wish we had photographed them against the same background every week so you could better tell that they have grown.
Below are two photographs. One taken today, the other taken the first week we had the puppies, January, 3 2006.
And here is a little factoid. From the cheapest wholesaler, it would cost $1000 to build a 7ft. tall toilet role pyramid.
A new discovery in pet ownership was made this past week.
Puppies don't shed!? Eggs don't ripen?!
So what is going on? Oscar and Felix are fast becoming adolsecent dogs. No longer are they soft, sac-less, 2lb. animals. It is actually a strain to pick each of them up with one hand. And forget about holding them in one hand while they struggle against being brushed.
I wish we had photographed them against the same background every week so you could better tell that they have grown.
Below are two photographs. One taken today, the other taken the first week we had the puppies, January, 3 2006.
And here is a little factoid. From the cheapest wholesaler, it would cost $1000 to build a 7ft. tall toilet role pyramid.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
3 things...
This will not be a usual dog blog post. No dogs, just talk (well, maybe just one).
1. Betty Friedan died today. As cliche it is to remember someone only after they are dead (we aren't going to see her at the Oscars), The Feminine Mystique is one of my favorite books. Sure, the second half is mostly dry sociological studies, but the first half is full of revelations. Through high school, I always had this nagging feeling that my attitude towards women was not in the mainstream, that my mom was not like other moms. But I could never quite figure out why that was. I didn't know that my mom was a minority among my friends' moms, and why I always got the bug-eyes when i told people (in the valley) that my mom was a lawyer.
The Feminine Mystique kind of codified all of what I could not figure out on my own. Of course, as a result, I saw evidence for the book everywhere. But I didn't feel the need to always point them out like some caricature from PCU. For most of you readers out there, the book won't be very compelling as Friedan's ideas have moved into the mainstream, but you should read it anyway. Think Mrs. Brown from The Hours.
2. It has been the best football year for the Alonzo family. UT won the national championship, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl. And it wasn't the usual bad superbowl, it was actually a good game. Not a blowout, not 3-0.
3. M is in Austin this week and I am in Albany. Pizza and dogpiss will be the rule for the week. No picking up, no cleaning. I'm only bathing to keep my job.
This will not be a usual dog blog post. No dogs, just talk (well, maybe just one).
1. Betty Friedan died today. As cliche it is to remember someone only after they are dead (we aren't going to see her at the Oscars), The Feminine Mystique is one of my favorite books. Sure, the second half is mostly dry sociological studies, but the first half is full of revelations. Through high school, I always had this nagging feeling that my attitude towards women was not in the mainstream, that my mom was not like other moms. But I could never quite figure out why that was. I didn't know that my mom was a minority among my friends' moms, and why I always got the bug-eyes when i told people (in the valley) that my mom was a lawyer.
The Feminine Mystique kind of codified all of what I could not figure out on my own. Of course, as a result, I saw evidence for the book everywhere. But I didn't feel the need to always point them out like some caricature from PCU. For most of you readers out there, the book won't be very compelling as Friedan's ideas have moved into the mainstream, but you should read it anyway. Think Mrs. Brown from The Hours.
2. It has been the best football year for the Alonzo family. UT won the national championship, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl. And it wasn't the usual bad superbowl, it was actually a good game. Not a blowout, not 3-0.
3. M is in Austin this week and I am in Albany. Pizza and dogpiss will be the rule for the week. No picking up, no cleaning. I'm only bathing to keep my job.
Monday, January 30, 2006
The Teacher Becomes the Student
So, they call it "dog school" but it's really school for people that are not smarter than their dogs. Yes, D and I are part of this category. Tonight we completed our second of eight dog classes. Fortunately, the class is only for puppies so, though Felix was the first in the class to go to the bathroom on the floor, he will not be the last. (please, please, please) It's embarrassing when your dogs leaves little presents on the floor of the classroom, but when someone else's dog vomits everywhere, well that's really funny.
It turns out that D and I have not been making ALL the common dog training mistakes, but we're certainly making plenty of them. I mean, did you know that you have to take the dogs out every day to successfully house train them?!?!?! And since when did puppies eat things that aren't good for them? I mean now we have to clean up all those puddles of antifreeze and chocolate we've got all over the house! And WHAT am I going to do with my poisonous plant collection?
No, we're actually learning a lot and now have dogs that mostly come when we call them and can even sit down for a few seconds. It's really interesting to watch the dog trainer try to peg everyone in the class. She thought she knew D & I and the dogs right off the bat. I apparently came off as the one that babies the dogs and doesn't raise my voice. HA!! She also assumed that we each had our own dog, as if one was "mine" or "his". Neither one is mine when they've just peed on the floor. Those are D's dogs! Anyway, it's interesting and gets us off the ranch for something other than work or a trip to Austin. I guess we'll keep going.....if only so Felix can learn that he's not actually 150 pounds of pure muscle ready to devour another dog on the spot. Yes, he's one of those big dogs in a tiny body. Well, I've made you read long enough. Here's what you really came for:
This is a picture at the puppies first house. We took them back to play with their mom and uncle. Once the sniffing was over, all they wanted to do was go outside.
Above is Cookie (mom) with Felix. He seemed to recognize her right away, though Oscar didn't ever really warm up.
Left is Oscar with Uncle Squirrel. They're almost the same size as each other. It's pretty funny since Squirrel is from the same litter as Cookie, who actually grew.
Another shot of them on the couch with me. There seem to be a lot of these. Maybe I should get outside more often.......Nah.
So, they call it "dog school" but it's really school for people that are not smarter than their dogs. Yes, D and I are part of this category. Tonight we completed our second of eight dog classes. Fortunately, the class is only for puppies so, though Felix was the first in the class to go to the bathroom on the floor, he will not be the last. (please, please, please) It's embarrassing when your dogs leaves little presents on the floor of the classroom, but when someone else's dog vomits everywhere, well that's really funny.
It turns out that D and I have not been making ALL the common dog training mistakes, but we're certainly making plenty of them. I mean, did you know that you have to take the dogs out every day to successfully house train them?!?!?! And since when did puppies eat things that aren't good for them? I mean now we have to clean up all those puddles of antifreeze and chocolate we've got all over the house! And WHAT am I going to do with my poisonous plant collection?
No, we're actually learning a lot and now have dogs that mostly come when we call them and can even sit down for a few seconds. It's really interesting to watch the dog trainer try to peg everyone in the class. She thought she knew D & I and the dogs right off the bat. I apparently came off as the one that babies the dogs and doesn't raise my voice. HA!! She also assumed that we each had our own dog, as if one was "mine" or "his". Neither one is mine when they've just peed on the floor. Those are D's dogs! Anyway, it's interesting and gets us off the ranch for something other than work or a trip to Austin. I guess we'll keep going.....if only so Felix can learn that he's not actually 150 pounds of pure muscle ready to devour another dog on the spot. Yes, he's one of those big dogs in a tiny body. Well, I've made you read long enough. Here's what you really came for:
This is a picture at the puppies first house. We took them back to play with their mom and uncle. Once the sniffing was over, all they wanted to do was go outside.
Above is Cookie (mom) with Felix. He seemed to recognize her right away, though Oscar didn't ever really warm up.
Left is Oscar with Uncle Squirrel. They're almost the same size as each other. It's pretty funny since Squirrel is from the same litter as Cookie, who actually grew.
Another shot of them on the couch with me. There seem to be a lot of these. Maybe I should get outside more often.......Nah.
Friday, January 27, 2006
The Chihuahua-nator
Well, in our infinite wisdom, D and I decided to go our separate ways this past weekend. He went to San Antonio to help an old professor run for president of ALA and I went to Austin to spend one last weekend with my sis before she moves to Chicago. We decided not to just leave them in the yard with a thawing steak and hope for the best......so I took them with me. Yes Kelly, I came to town with puppies and didn't tell you. This trip was all about Mel. And housetraining. And making sure Charlie (family dog) didn't eat the pups for lunch. I mean if your dog could channel the Terminator, you would worry a little too. Can anyone say "deadlights"?
So we had to introduce them in neutral territory and keep a pretty close eye on them all weekend. Charlie did a decent job of ignoring them when he could, but when two furry balls of energy come running at you full speed, ignoring gets a little difficult. But he did well for his first time. Somewhere in the dog afterlife my Aunt's dog watched this all happen and laughed. Once Charlie was the eager puppy and she was the grouchy old dog not willing to play. How the tables have turned, Charlie.
After some initial sniffing in places and barking, they all seemed to settle down and just tolerate each other.
He still has those evil eyes.........
We also discovered that on cold days at home Oscar & Felix happily sit in front of our space heater for as long as we'll let them.
You've managed to avoid the dog sweaters so far boys, but look out! There will be many more winters in your futures.
Sweaters.....they'll be back.
Well, in our infinite wisdom, D and I decided to go our separate ways this past weekend. He went to San Antonio to help an old professor run for president of ALA and I went to Austin to spend one last weekend with my sis before she moves to Chicago. We decided not to just leave them in the yard with a thawing steak and hope for the best......so I took them with me. Yes Kelly, I came to town with puppies and didn't tell you. This trip was all about Mel. And housetraining. And making sure Charlie (family dog) didn't eat the pups for lunch. I mean if your dog could channel the Terminator, you would worry a little too. Can anyone say "deadlights"?
So we had to introduce them in neutral territory and keep a pretty close eye on them all weekend. Charlie did a decent job of ignoring them when he could, but when two furry balls of energy come running at you full speed, ignoring gets a little difficult. But he did well for his first time. Somewhere in the dog afterlife my Aunt's dog watched this all happen and laughed. Once Charlie was the eager puppy and she was the grouchy old dog not willing to play. How the tables have turned, Charlie.
After some initial sniffing in places and barking, they all seemed to settle down and just tolerate each other.
He still has those evil eyes.........
We also discovered that on cold days at home Oscar & Felix happily sit in front of our space heater for as long as we'll let them.
You've managed to avoid the dog sweaters so far boys, but look out! There will be many more winters in your futures.
Sweaters.....they'll be back.
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