Tag Archives: dogs

Closets, Rain and Underwear (An Unlikely Combination!)


Good morning everyone! 

No-no and Bad Dog are off to a flying start this morning.  I just retrieved a red-ink pen from No-No (fortunately before he had pierced through to the ink) and a handkerchief from Bad Dog, both of which they could only have taken directly off my bedside table. 

Bad Dog (Mandy) and No-No (Darwin) Confer on Tactics

I hope you had a great weekend!  We did.  Our big activity for this weekend was going to see the last Harry Potter movie.  Yes, it is as good as the collective “they” say.  For purists, there are differences from the book, but over all, the movie does a fantastic job of conveying the important points.

  • Inmate’s Underwear

    From Print Shop Professional 2.0

Kayla is of an age now where she can (sort of) understand what’s going on when she listens to the news.   Yesterday afternoon late, we had to head into Montgomery to buy a few things, and on the way there, we heard a news report about how the sheriff of Polk County, Arizona has decreed that male inmates must buy their prison underwear or do without.

Kayla thought for a minute, then said reflectively, “You know, I think everyone should have at least one pair of underwear.”  Then she thought some more, and announced that “If I ever go to prison, I will be sure and pack my own underwear.”  We explained that you don’t normally get to take your own stuff to prison.  She said, “Well, then, the underwear they give you might not fit right or be very comfortable; I guess I just won’t ever to go to jail.” 

We told her we thought that was a wise decision. 

  •   Gentle Rain

    Happy to Get Rain (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

We have had an unexpected break in our summer weather, for just a few days, and it has been nice.  Overcast clouds and summer thunderstorms gave us rain for about four days straight.  The crowning glory was a slow soaking rain on Saturday, followed by a cloud show that was absolutely breathtaking!  The rain clouds broke into huge blankets of dark gray pillowed skies bordered by luminous white clouds, with just one or two patches where the clouds broke completely and the rays came shining though.  How I wished my fellow bloggers over at The Simple Life of a Country Man’s Wife, and Just Rambling Pier  had been here to take pictures.  They both are super photographers.  I, of course, in spite of my three cameras plus one cell phone that takes pictures, had nothing available to capture the moment with.

Our Cloud Show Was Even Better Than This! (From Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Mark volunteered Saturday morning to help Kayla clean her closet, due to a pressing need to find out how many pairs of shoes she had that fit, and so they spent about two hours working on it together.  It now looks really good and they were still speaking to each other when they finished!  I have given him carte blanche on my half of our clothes closet whenever he wants, Kayla’s looked so good when they finished.  The craft closet I have not offered up for cleaning.  🙂 

A Closet That Was Cleaned (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

Blogging Lessons I Have Learned


Good morning Everyone!

This post today will be my 108th post.  I have been blogging since February 22, and this is as good a time as any to take stock of what I have learned since then.

1)   It is wonderful to be able to write something someone else reads and have them say, “I like that!” 

2) I have written approximately 54,000 words in 108 posts which have included 516 images.  Each post has taken (on average, unless lots of pictures are involved) 45 minutes or less to write.  That is equivalent at least to a novella! 

3) I can sit down every day and write.  In fact, I enjoy doing it.

4) SEO does not involve a corporation’s management structure, bounce rate is not a basketball statistic and “keyword” and “password” are not equivalent terms.

5) The “site stats” page on WordPress is addictive.

6) So is getting Freshly Pressed.  It happened to me once, (Rules I Never Thought I’d Need) and I still harbor a faint hope with every post I make that another one will get Freshly Pressed some day…

7)  There are lots of extremely interesting people from all over the world who read this blog.  I have had the chance to get to know some of them.

8)  My family and friends read this blog almost every day –  devotion above and beyond the call of duty.  Some people who didn’t know me originally read this blog almost every day, too, which is really amazing!

9) My daughter is an exceptionally good sport to let me write about her.  The dogs don’t really care what I write about them.  Mandy is much better at finishing her food now that I write beside her while she eats.  (Dog Rules)

10) Toasted bagels with peanut butter and typing on a keyboard are a messy combination. 

11) Someone out there keeps searching “husky-basset hound mixes.”  Whoever you are, I would be really interested to know why.  I thought we had the only husky-basset hound mix in the world. 

Mandy, Our Husky-Basset Hound Mix

12) No matter how many cameras you have, (I’m at 3 right now), you still can manage to forget to bring one when you need it.

13) Even the most mundane things are funny, if you look at them the right way.  (Light Switches.) 

Hall Light Switch

14) I love to hear from you, and am very grateful to every reader who has taken the time to comment on a blog. 

15) Pens continue to disappear at an alarming rate at my house.  (Of Waves and Pens.)

16) Life is beautiful and it is fun to share!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

Drunken Puppies


Good morning Everyone!

 

 

Every once in a while, you run across a headline that makes you go “hmmmmmm…..”  Today I ran across the following gem:  “Pet Store Bans Drunken Puppy Buying.”  After I looked twice to be sure I read it correctly, the thought crossed my mind that the headline makes a lot of sense.  After all, how can a puppy make a good owner choice if it is drunk?  And if drinking and driving is bad (and it is), how can you condone drinking and selecting an owner? 

Coordination is an issue too.  Puppies have a hard enough time walking and navigating around a room to begin; imagine the effects if alcohol is added to the mix!  I knew a puppy (Shadow) who used to love to run through tunnels she had made under the bed between storage boxes at night at full speed – until the night she made a wrong turn and slammed head first into the bedroom wall.  (We didn’t see it, but we heard it.)  How much worse would it have been if she had been drunk!

Shadow and Woof - Never Drunk but Always Crazy!

We all know that alcohol impairs judgment and a puppy’s judgment is questionable at best to begin with; I suspect it would be nonexistent with alcohol added.  The first week we had him, Darwin decided to tear out all of our porch screens in three days. If he had had one or two daiquiris beforehand, not only screen replacement, but also a vet visit would have been in order, since his lack of balance would have precipitated him over the 15 foot drop between the porch and the ground.  (Vets are much more expensive than screens, for those of you keeping score.)

The Terminator! (Of Screens)

And let’s think a minute people – is it really a good idea to give a mind-altering substance to an animal that loses its mind when it experiences its first car ride with the windows down or its first potato chip?   For that matter, how exactly do you give a puppy a breathalyzer test and what is the legal limit for puppies?  The enforcement issues are mind-blowing!

So, kudos to the pet store for the courage to take a stand and here’s hope for the rehabilitation of all those drunken puppies! 

Have a great day!

Nancy

Writer’s Block, Socks and Sunsets


Good morning Everyone!

I don’t know how it happened, but I am having a bit of writer’s block today, so help me out and if there are any topics you are interested in hearing about some other time, could you please leave me a comment? 

Kayla in the car (Not sleeping, but you get the idea)

I had the chance to envy my daughter this morning.  While we were driving to work today, she decided to curl up and take herself a little snooze.  I started to wake her up and tell her that she could drive and I would nap, but the last time I tried that, she looked over at me, raised her eyebrows and said firmly, “Not happening Mom!”  Besides, she can’t reach the pedals yet, which would be problematic.  

Mandy and Darwin confer on their sock capers

Socks are appearing in random places throughout the house again, usually one member of a pair dropped in the center of the floor, and the other member chewed and tucked in a corner, so I will have to figure out where Bad Dog and No-no are collecting them from.  Bad Dog managed to snatch a quarter of a bagel off my plate yesterday morning too, when I had to leave the breakfast table to discover what the wails in my daughter’s bedroom were all about.  (The child had the audacity, with her clothes cupboard open and chock full of clothes, to tell me that she was crying because she didn’t have anything to wear.)  Bad Dog wasn’t too upset when I got on to her about the bagel, either. 

Tyra

Tyra managed to muster enough spryness last night to jump on the bed for the first time in a while, which was nice to see.  She also won the gold star for exemplary conduct when Mark’s mother came over to have supper with us.  Darwin and Mandy were over-exuberant in their greeting so got exiled to the patio for a little while, but Tyra waited until a good time and then walked over to be petted without any leaping, or barking or other shenanigans.

Finally, I thought I would share Kayla’s pastel sunset with you.  Kayla is taking art with the same teacher I have for the summer, and this is the third thing she has done, but her first pastel.  I was pretty blown away!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

In Honor of the Fourth: Kayla’s Turn


Good morning/afternoon everyone!

One of the things I have thought a lot about lately, as the Fourth approaches and as the news continues to stress differences between us, is how much we Americans have in common that no-one every acknowledges.  Chief among those commonalities is the hope that our children will experience a future far better than the present that we experience.  We may disagree on the method that it will take for us to get there, but I don’t know anyone who wakes up one day and says, “You know, I really hope that the world will be a much more terrible place for my child than it is for me right now.” 

So, in honor of that sentiment, today is Kayla’s turn to supply material (that she herself chose, as opposed to that which I reported) for this post.

Monday morning, as I was trying to get ready for work, she got hold of the camera and followed the dogs around for about 45 minutes taking pictures.  I promised her that I would use her pictures in my blog, so today is the day.  I did take the liberty of making up the captions for the pictures, though.

She got some good basic pictures of the dogs, including one with Mark and Mandy sharing a moment together:

Tyra Waiting on the Sofa

Look closely at Mandy’s tail in this one:

Mandy in the bathroom

 And here Mandy and Mark are sharing a moment together before either realizes Kayla and the camera are in the room:

Mandy and Mark in the Morning

Darwin was waiting his turn in the kitchen:

Darwin waits in the kitchen

She also got some fantastic pictures of Mandy in her favorite lookout spot, the sofa in the study area of the great room.  We call it her lair.  

Mandy in her favorite lookout spot

Sometimes Darwin wanders by:

Mandy and Darwin confer

When Mandy is in her lair, it can be easier to get close-ups of her:

Mandy's close-up

Tyra, as head dog, is allowed to claim the leather sofa as hers whenever she wants it.

Tyra holds court on the couch

Kayla also managed to catch Mandy, as Bad Dog, and Darwin, as No-no, in action.  I think I would have preferred her to save the items they were working on, but at least you now have proof that the two dogs, even though they can look so sweet in their pictures, do have alter-egos!

Bad Dog’s Criminal Caper:

In the legal field, we might consider this to be a smoking gun:

The Smoking Gun....

Denials are useless at this point:

But ultimately she remains unrepentant as she plans her next criminal caper with the victims – Kayla’s flip-flops – in plain view.

Sleeping I dreamed, Love, I dreamed, Love, of thee.

No-no’s plan of attack centered around an assumption that he would remain unmolested in the bedroom if every one was out in the other room getting breakfast.   He didn’t count on the People Puppy of the house roaming around with a camera.

No-no caught in the act!

However, he appeared to be oblivious to the meaning behind the words “plausible deniability.”

Who me?

And at first refused to go quietly:

Still, all’s well that ends well, so No-no is ready to go again as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Have a great weekend and a great Fourth of July everyone!

Nancy

A Room With A View


Good morning everyone!

A View Across Choctawhatchee Bay to the Right

When we went to Destin for my meeting last week, we, as in Mark, Kayla and I,  had the opportunity to stay at the Sandestin Beach Resort, Sandestin for short.  The dogs, alas, were not allowed to come with us; they got to go to their favorite kennel, the Cutie Patootie Grooming Salon and Kennel.  We have never had a kennel before where the dogs walk in happy and not scared.  The owner, Chas, is a favorite with them, but I think the prize attraction is the opportunity to run free in the building, and in the outside runs during the day with other dogs.  Darwin loves this, as he gets to play as long as he wants with whoever he wants; Mandy enjoys it, as she gets a break as Darwin’s continual playmate, and Tyra finds it restful, since she gets a break from both of them.  (If you have followed this blog for very long, it will not surprise you to learn that while occasionally Mandy and Darwin get put in “time out” – ie., back in the run by themselves for a minute – because they get too rambunctious, Tyra is allowed to roam free from sun-up to sundown.)  However, I digress. 

Sunset over the Gulf

To return to our hotel:  Sandestin is a huge complex with all kinds of places (and prices.)  It has two halves:  the Bayside and the Beach Side.  This year, we stayed at the Bayside Inn and were fortunate enough to be placed on the sixth floor, with a view of Choctawhatchee Bay.  (Yes, I had to look the spelling up!)   All three of us were captivated by the view, and spent time sitting on our balcony just looking at the bay.

This was the view straight across from the room:

This is a second view straight across:

The view straight down gives you an idea of how shallow the bay really is:

I thought the palm trees were interesting, too.

The views across the bay to our left were also spectacular:

As you can see from these pictures, and the one below, the portion of the bay that Sandestin surrounds is very shallow.  One of the things we like to do, although we didn’t get to this time, is to go over to the marina and use a canoe or a kayak to paddle around the bay for a while.  (You get one or two hours a day free use of a canoe or kayak as part of staying at the resort.)

Wonderful views, aren’t they?  I hope you get the chance to go there some day soon.  Leave your comments, if you can, and let me know which beach places are your favorite places to go, too.  (Ocean beach or lake beach, either one counts!)  My family is always open for new beach experiences!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

The First Day of Summer Vacation and Other Matters


Hi Everyone!

I hope each of you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  We did; we didn’t do anything special, but we got to go bowling, nap, shopping, nap, attend church, nap, eat out, nap – you get the idea! 

Today marks a change in the rhythm of our lives for the next two and a half months – Kayla’s summer vacation starts today.  Until I taught, many moons ago, I didn’t realize how much teachers look forward to summer vacation.  Until Kayla started Kindergarten, I also didn’t realize how much parents enjoy summer vacation, too.  I don’t have to fuss about homework; bed time, while still important, is not essential; and getting Kayla ready in the morning amounts to being sure she is dressed properly instead of the list of things we have to have ready for school. 

Specifically for us, too, summer vacation is different because I take Kayla to a day camp near to where I work, which means that she and I ride to and from work together.  I am looking forward to the extra time with her, although I have to resign myself to the fact that I will be listening to the Disney Channel radio for the next two and a half months, also. 

  •      Rememborizing

On the way to the bowling alley this weekend, Kayla was trying to tell us that she either remembered something or had memorized it, I am not sure which, but the word that came out was “rememborized.”  She tried again with another variation, and finally got frustrated and said “Whatever,” which in 9-year-old parlance translates to “you know what I mean so let’s get past the pronunciation and on to the discussion.”

  • Santa Claus

When we went shopping this weekend, one of the things we needed were new white church shoes for Kayla.  We noticed Sunday that her feet were hanging off both the front and the back of her old church sandals.  (She is in the middle of a growth spurt.)  As we were walking into the store, out of the blue, Kayla started talking about maybe buying some underwear also, then, remembering that she had gotten some from Santa for Christmas (yes, folks, she got a lot of other things too, and they were all toys), stopped in the middle of the road  and asked Mark and I, “How did Santa Claus know my underwear size?”  I asked her if Santa knew whether she had been good or bad, why couldn’t he know her underwear size?  She answered, “That’s just embarrassing!  

  • The Treadmill 

For Father’s Day, I got Mark a treadmill.  It came last week, a little early, so he took some time yesterday to put it together, with Kayla’s help.  She did a very good job helping him, both in reading the directions, handing him the necessary parts and sometimes getting to handle some of the tools, like the wrench and screwdriver, and even the drill (used as a screwdriver) once or twice. 

Once Mark and she got it put together, it was time to try it out, briefly.  Each of us spent about two minutes on it, just to see if it worked.  What we didn’t expect was the dogs’ reaction to it.  Tyra ignored it, but Mandy was mesmerized, and Darwin, unwilling to let his twin enjoy something without him, decided he would be mesmerized, too.  I thought maybe it was just a one day thing, but this morning, when Mark got up early to use the treadmill, the two dogs camped out by the treadmill yet again.

Mandy, Fascinated by the Treadmill

Mandy and Darwin Mesmerized by the Treadmill

You never know exactly what is going through the minds of your dogs at any particular time, except maybe feeding time, but I sure would like to know what they are thinking while they watch the treadmill! 

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

Zoo Day and Pictures


Hi Everyone! 

I hope your weekend went well.  Both zoo day and Mother’s Day went well, so I am now awake, rested, refreshed and ready to face the new work week.  (All right, at least I am awake!)  For a change, I managed to wake up and start writing before the sun rose – the birds appear to be much more enthusiastic about this whole “pre-dawn” thing then I am.  Morning people, how do you do it?

The trip to the zoo was fun.  Basically, the school buses pull up to the zoo and let the kids off, the kids are distributed to assorted parents and then all of us are turned loose for the day with instructions to return at 11 for lunch and 1:00 for bus loading.  In addition to Kayla, I had her friend Rebekah with us.  There is a walk through aviary in the front part of the zoo that Kayla wanted us to go through (twice), so that’s where we started.  Kayla found a feather in there, so I took her picture holding the feather.  I took Rebekah’s picture holding the feather, too.  To forestall any issue about whether Rebekah or Kayla got to keep the feather, I told them they needed to leave it in the enclosure.

We then worked our way around South and North America, including a visit to the reptile house (not my favorite place), the spider monkeys, several tamarin species, the jaguar and the ocelot.  I had to explain to both girls that the “cute” ocelot was not the kind of cat one would really wish to have in their house!  We also saw a sloth bear and several Patagonian capys (imagine something that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a kangaroo, but about three times as big as the rabbit.)   The girls had the chance to go by the otter exhibit also, which is always popular. 

The giraffes and lions are at the very center of the zoo, so you really can’t miss them as you travel across the zoo, and the female lion, the only one out on Friday, was roaring.  With just a little imagination you can see what an eerie sound that would be out in the wilderness. 

After lunch, we rode the train, and then I succumbed to the same temptation that seized most of the other parents at the zoo – I took the girls to the playground, turned them loose and found a comfortable bench.  I was certainly not the only parent found on the park benches around the playground! 

Of course, Mother’s Day was this weekend, and Mark and Kayla had a special surprise planned.   They had gone to Sears and gotten their portrait taken for me.  In addition to having several photos in various sizes printed out, they also purchased the disk of their photos, with a full release of copyright, so I can share some of the pictures with you (Hang in while I go see what Darwin is tossing up and down in his mouth…..ahhh, it’s one of my headbands, but I got it before too much damage was done.  He’s not too happy with me.) 

Anyway, here they are:

I am thrilled with them and am a lucky woman to have such a wonderful family! 

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

6000+ views, Style and Dog Update


Good morning everyone! 

I am really excited to have passed 6000 views yesterday; thank you for reading this blog!  A view happens every time someone comes to this blog to read something, not the total number of readers, so some of you have done a lot of reading to help me get here.

Kayla just announced that she had her own style; Mark told her that with respect to grammar that wasn’t entirely true.  They are joking with each other as they leave the house, which is always a fun way to start the morning.

Kayla with "her own style" for herself and her pumpkin last Halloween

 

Today is the 3rd grade field trip to the Montgomery zoo.  I am one of the chaperones, and very much look forwarding to it.  I am (again) very grateful to the people at work for their flexibility with a working mom.  I also am lucky about being chosen as a chaperone; for some reason, whenever there is a field trip and I ask to be a chaperone, I get chosen.  I don’t know if that says something about me, about Kayla or both! 

Kayla's First Train Ride at the Zoo (age 4)

I haven’t written much about the dogs lately.  I cooked hamburgers for supper last night on the George Foreman grill, and Mandy came to the kitchen and parked herself between the counter where the grill was and where I was standing in the hopes that a stray speck of meat or fat might fall her way.  When she parks somewhere like that, you can’t move her – it’s like trying to move Mount Rushmore! What she really was hoping was that I would leave so she could lick the fat that drips off from the grill into a special holder, but I was aware of this plan (having observed it in action before) and so put everything out of her reach when I was done, much to her disgust.  That did not stop her from investigating the issue, anyway. 

Mandy, the immovable object

 

I left two pair of shoes out in the bedroom the other morning, and while I was blogging Darwin entertained himself by bringing them out one at a time and “plopping” them down on the floor in front of me to get my attention.  When it didn’t work, he then considerately only chewed one of them, on the place where the shoe manufacturer had sewed on a loop to help you pull the shoe on.   

Please let me go chew something else!

As the weather warms, Tyra is starting to feel a little better; she has twice been able to jump on the bed at night this week without being lifted.  She looks so proud of herself when she does so, but is even prouder when she manages to get one of us to lift her up! 

Tyra Happy

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, and have a great weekend everyone!

Nancy

The Weekend


Good morning everyone!  I hope all of you had a great weekend.  We had a quiet one but it was enjoyable.  Before we get to that though, I wanted to thank all of you who read this blog – as of this morning, I have 5900 views! 

From Print Shop Professional 2.0

Saturday, Mark and Kayla went on a mysterious shopping expedition, possibly having something to do with the approach of Mother’s Day, but which gave me the uninterrupted run of the house until about 2.  I used this unexpected bonus time to finish the laundry. 

From Print Shop Professional 2.0

Having the laundry finished by Saturday morning is particularly enjoyable because it means there are only minimum chores to do the rest of the weekend, and gave us, on Sunday, that most blessed but most rare of days – a true day of rest.  Having had one, I have to say I could get used to more of them on a regular basis!

After the mysterious shopping expedition, and the subsequent nap, we decided to go bowling.  Bowling, for me, has improved greatly with the greatest of all bowling innovations since pins and balls – the gutter guard!  Without the gutter guards, I am pretty much a scratch bowler in reverse – I will hit the gutter each and every time I touch the ball.  With the gutter guards, I even get spares once in a while, and on a rare day, a strike or two!  Let’s just say that I am the master of the unintended ricochet shot. 

From Print Shop 2.0 Professional

On Sunday, after church, we took our afternoon nap (I have told you before that the Sunday afternoon nap is a solemn ritual at our house.)  Mark had told me to wake him up at 2, so I managed to shake myself awake about 2:30 to go get him up, but he decided he needed another hour.  So, instead, Kayla and I and the three dogs ended up in my bedroom watching TV for an hour.  To keep the dogs quiet I let them out, but after about five minutes, the dogs started pitching a fit, all three barking at full volume. 

Since loud barking is generally not conducive to continuing naps, I sent Kayla out to check on the dogs.  The barking didn’t stop, and she came running back in to tell me I needed to come out there.  When I got out there, I saw what the dogs were barking at – a grey-reddish animal at the bottom of the court our back yard hill overlooks.  Between Kayla and I, we got the dogs back in, which stopped the barking, and then gave us a chance to get a good look at the animal which still hadn’t left the court to melt back into the woods.  It was too long to be a cat or a dog, but we weren’t quite sure what it was until it turned its face where we could see it in a profile – it was a fox!  I have seen a fox in Alabama maybe once before, and then it was running across the road in front of me, so I was more worried about avoiding hitting it then I was in observing, but this fox was determined to put on a show for both of us.  It probably stayed in our sight for a good 15 minutes, strolling along the edge of the woods, stopping to scratch, and looking over at birds who were foolish enough to land on the “For Sale” signs in front of the lot.  It must not have been hungry, though, because it left the birds alone.  For the two of us, it was quite a small town wildlife adventure!

From LookandSee, a WordPress photo blog about living in rural New South Wales in Australia

The picture above may have been taken in Australia, but the grey fox we saw looked just like it!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy