Dogs and Owners

Over my years of dog-walking and dog-sitting, I have never ceased to be amazed by how well-trained dog owners are.  When I first go and visit and new client, I get the owners to tell me all about their dogs - their little quirks and cute tricks, and things they will do and won't do for the owners.  One of my favorite items is being told that the dog will "never" do this or that...  and they do it, happily, for me.  I easily and readily admit that my two cats have me wrapped around their whiskers, and that they are spoiled rotten.  (And their Auntie Bea, my room mate, spoils them worse than I do.)  But dogs and cats are very different - cats may run in a clowder in the wild, but they are not pack animals with an alpha leader, like dogs.  When I start taking care of any dog, I am the alpha leader, not them.
   I have been told by one client that their older dog will only eat if she's fed by hand - she eats out of her dog bowl for me.  I'm told several dogs are extremely picky eaters and that I need to offer them multiple things for their meal, until they deign to choose something.  With those dogs, I'm happy to alternate different foods at meal time, but I put one item down and tell them, "That's what you get - eat it or leave it."  The dogs might wait a few minutes, but they always eat what I give them.
   One of my favorite items involves short-coated dogs and weather.  I've been told that if it's less than 35 degrees outside, these dogs must wear a sweater or coat just to walk into the back yard and relieve themselves.  If it's below freezing, they must have their booties on.  I've been told that one dog in particular does not handle cold weather well - that if it's below freezing, his feet get so cold that he can't walk, and he falls over on his side and lies there, stiff-legged, until his owners pick him up and carry him inside.  That same dog is supposed to be allowed to wander for 20 to 30 minutes each time he goes out to potty, because it "takes him a long time to decide it's safe enough to poop."  I can tell you that that specific dog, and several others, will run outside, and do their business quickly if they don't have a coat or booties on when it's cold.
    Now, if I'm taking the dogs out for an hour's walk, or more, then, yes, they get their coats and boots put on, as well as a good coating of Paw-eeze.  The little guy who falls over stiff-legged from having cold feet (for his owners) has never pulled such a trick on me... Dogs that owners can't control when on the leash, or loose and on voice-command, I have no problems with.  I know that I'm guilty of letting my cats do crazy things - but I guess I'm the strict disciplinarian when it comes to others...

What Storm?

For the last ten days, Boulder has had warnings about a huge winter storm that was due to arrive yesterday evening.  We were warned to be prepared for several days of snow and Arctic temperatures.  Yesterday's local newspaper shouted that we would have at least four inches of snow on the ground by morning.
  It was very windy yesterday, but the temperatures were up in the low 40s.  I wore my coat, hat and gloves.  We had high winds in the afternoon and early evening with gusts up to 80 miles per hour.  The wind died well before 7 p.m., and all was quiet when I turned out my reading light at midnight.
  The cats let me sleep in until 7 this morning.  I awoke to see bright blue skies and glaring sunshine.  It was only 5 degrees (F) outside, but there was no snow to be seen.  Late last night, the snow warning was changed to start about noon today.  This morning, we're being told the snow will begin this evening, and that we'll have 6 inches on the ground by morning. Uh-huh.    I'll believe it when I see it.
   In the meantime, Bea and I had left-over ham for lunch yesterday and turkey for supper.  We'll probably have ham for lunch again, but we've agreed on having pizza for supper.  While I was out this morning, I purchased a nice, plump baking hen for tomorrow's supper - I think we'll have sweet potatoes and a vegetable medley with it.  And I'll either make gingerbread, or a devil's food cake for us to munch on...
    Hope all of you have a good week!

Life's Little Pleasures

I must admit that, usually, life's little pleasures are the ones I enjoy the most.   Sitting by a fire on a cold night; listening to my cats purr; having dogs get excited when they see me; having a horse come to my call; being warm when it's cold outside; being cool when it's hot outside; having a roof over my head; having enough to eat; having plenty of things to read; not worrying about if I have enough money to pay the rent, or to buy cat food.  Life's simple pleasures.
   I'm typing this at my desk, looking west at snow covered mountains.  My female cat is cradled in my left arm - her butt on my left breast, her front paws hanging over my left shoulder, and her whiskers tickling my face and neck.  She is purring.  My male cat is on the cat tree, less than two feet from my reach; he's watching the neighborhood ravens and our friendly squirrel.  Bea is asleep, as far as I know.  (She's a night owl, and I'm an early morning person.) I have a full tummy, I have taken my medications, and I feel at peace with the world - having paid my rent and having a cupboard full of food for the cats, and for human consumption.
  We seem to be in the middle of a heat wave (heavy sarcasm here), as it was all of 11 degrees (F) this morning, and not in the single or negative digits.  We're supposed to have a high temperature above freezing, for the first time in over 8 days - it will feel good.  Bea has to work tonight, and then she's off for 3 days.  If flights are running smoothly tomorrow, I'll pick up the Brittany Spaniels family about 4 in the afternoon, and be back home for supper and a night in my own bed.
   After Beatrice got off work last night, I cooked our New Year's Day meal:  ham steak, black-eyed peas, mashed sweet potatoes, home-made garlic-cheese biscuits, applesauce (which I didn't cook), and fresh baked gingerbread.  We were so stuffed that it was difficult to even move last night - but I had the girls to walk and put to bed and sleep with.   We did laugh hysterically, watching Nedi and Lovey chase each other; and Nedi was playing with his string toy - throwing it around, attacking it, and charging through the apartment, dragging it after him...  It was a nice, pleasant, enjoyable evening.
   I hope this New Year of 2016 is full of such evenings for you.

Bits and Pieces

Read Speaking In Bones yesterday, and then started a new J A Jance mystery.  Roxie slept with me the night before last, but Finney has never gotten in bed with me - until this morning.  I had to answer a call of nature at 4 a.m., and when I returned, Finney was asleep in my spot, with her head on my pillow.  She went totally limp when I attempted to move her, and I finally had to "scoop" her off the bed and onto the floor.  Before I could get my butt down on the side of the bed, she was back up, in my space again.  I finally got her to settle at my feet, and we had another good sleep until my alarm went off.
   Victor and Xena's folks are back from their 12 days of travel, and I need to transcribe my appointments for next year on the new calendar, today or tomorrow.  Saturday morning I'll meet with a couple about walking their 5 dogs while they are out of town in February.  They have a a lady who will be the live-in care-taker while they're gone, but she recently injured her back, and the dogs pull, so I'll have walking duties.
  I gave a friend a Surfer Dude calendar for 2016 as a Christmas gift, and she cried when she opened it...  Didn't mean to make her cry, just wanted to give her something SD oriented.  She loved that stallion.  Guess I'd better get a copy of the book about him for her birthday present.
   Taking the Christmas tree down today.  Will carefully pack the ornaments and lights, and take our welcome Santa down from the front door.  They are coming by tomorrow to pick up trees to make into fresh mulch - so ours will go onto the pile.  Both Beatrice and I get checks tomorrow, so we'll also grab cat food, squirrel food and bird food tomorrow.   Not doing anything special for New Years Eve.  But I'll watch the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade without commercial interruption on the Home and Garden television channel on Friday, and I think the Gators play in a Bowl Game that afternoon.  We'll probably have black-eyed peas, pork chops, collard greens, apple sauce and corn bread for supper - not making Hoppin' John this year.
  Please enjoy the rest of the year 2015!

Quiet Two Days

Four inches of fine powdery snow fell Christmas night - major streets in Boulder are clear, but our parking lot is an ice rink.  The dogs and hens on Emerald have been wonderfully cooperative, and Beatrice and I spent yesterday and today (until she went to work), watching The Croods, Centennial, and several Harry Potter movies on the television.  Lovey and Nedi have been very well behaved, except when I left to care for the Emerald critters this morning, when Nedi decided I had abandoned him, and sat outside Bea's door and howled until she got up and loved him.  (My cats - spoiled?  Never!)  Currently, Nedi is curled up asleep on my green sweater, and Lovey is curled up in the middle of the bed.
   Other than going over to Emerald yesterday, everyone stayed at home for Christmas.  I promised four visits each day, and I'm following that...  I'll be headed over there shortly, before I pick Bea up from work.  We were cloudy all yesterday, and had the snow begin to fall at 5 last night; had a few flurries this morning, but it cleared this afternoon, and we're expecting our low temperature to be -5 (F) by morning.  And I'll be out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment at 5:30 in the morning, as I have clients going to Denver International Airport then...  They'll pick me up, and I'll drive the car back to Boulder.  Then I'll be staying at their house, with two Brittany Spaniels until the following Sunday.  I must be out of my mind to agree to stand on the sidewalk at 5:30 in the morning, with the temperature at -5!
   Anyway, with Bea at work, I didn't cook tonight - I ate leftovers from yesterday.  Finished off the maple sausage we had for breakfast, then ate the glazed carrots and string beans with bacon....  We had a home made platter of cut apples and pears and baby carrots along with walnuts, cheese and crackers for lunch yesterday.  Baked a six-and-a-half pound roasting hen for supper, with the carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, gingerbread and pumpkin pie.  This morning, we read the instructions on the new Belgium waffle maker, and we had home made waffles for breakfast...  One is supposed to throw away the first waffle made, as it might have too much oil in it.  The hens thought that waffle was delicious!
  So Beatrice is off work on Sunday and Monday, but I'll be running back and forth between the critters at Emerald until Tuesday night, as well as staying with the Spaniels for the next 8 days - and I'll start back with daily walks of Rosie and Tess again on Monday...  But that's OK - we both have plenty of books to read, and I'll be coming home twice a day to spend time with my kits...  And then Beatrice gets to start her usual work week again on Tuesday.  I very rarely sit still - and taking care of such a wide variety of houses and pets makes life interesting!

More And More Snow

Our snow began to fall yesterday morning around 10:45.  We've been so warm that it didn't even start to accumulate on the grass and roadways until after 4 in the afternoon.  It's still snowing.  There were five inches of snow on the ground when I got up at 6 this morning, and the white stuff is still falling steadily.  Our weather folks say that Boulder will receive another 3 to 8 inches of new snow today.  That's fine with me!  I've gone to the store, fed the squirrels, fed the birds, cleaned the litter boxes and have taken the trash and recycling out.  I'll be checking up on male family names in both the Snow and Nocks families, to give a list to Mike and Erin.  I had understood that they were going to name their son after their Uncle Kent, who passed away in September.  That is not the case, now - I have the feeling that Vanessa, Kent's widow, wants to name her first grandson after her husband...
   Nedi ran out into the snow and bounded around for a while this morning.  Lovey stepped onto the patio, sniffed the sir and walked back inside.  The veterinarians keep telling me that I overfeed my cats.  Nedi has a small frame and only weighs 6 pounds; Lovey had a medium to large frame and weighs 11 pounds.  Each and every day, they have three bowls of dry food to choose from, a small bowl of treats, and a can of meat and gravy; there are two full water bowls, and one that flows constantly.  Last night I kept hearing odd noises from the kitchen cabinet, so I peeked around the room divider to check it out.  Nedi was inside the cabinet.  He very carefully patted a full box of elbow macaroni out of the cabinet and onto the floor.  He then proceeded to chew the corner of the box open, spitting tiny pieces of cardboard out, as he removed them.  Once he had a hole large enough for his paw to fit inside, he reached in and scooped out five pieces of macaroni.  He then ate those five pieces, pulled out another five, ate three of them and just wandered away.  Now I know that I do not have a mouse in the pantry; it's my little black cat.  I'm just puzzled as to why he wanted to eat wheat pasta pieces....
   I've seen one intrepid squirrel out this morning - he kept disappearing into the snow as he leapt his way from the fence to the patio.  I placed walnuts and pecans out for the furry kids this morning.  I have only seen a huge flock of starlings out and about in the feathered friends area...  and I placed sunflower seeds out for the birdies this morning.  Both cats are intently watching the squirrel and birds eat.

Thanksgiving and Plumbing

I had planned on posting yesterday, but other circumstances intervened.  And if today's blog seems a little disconnected, it's because I'm eating breakfast and trying to watch the Florida versus Florida State football game while I'm writing. The weather has been wonderful - temperatures in the 50s, an occasional breeze, sunny skies - and it's supposed to stay that way until Wednesday when the weather people say the high will be 25 and the high on Thursday will be 15.  Yuck.
    Thursday was a very good day - we had 25 of the family gathered - that's the Snow family, my sister's husband.  Ages ranged from Evie, at 18 weeks, to Bob, a father-in-law, in his early 80s.  Grandma Anne spent Thanksgiving in Berthoud with her son and daughter, saying that such a large group was a little too much for her.  Fran and Corky were vacationing in Hawaii; and the South Dakota Snows stayed at home due to health issues; we were missing more than 15 this year.  But we had a fantastic feast at the Niwot Grange and everyone took extra helpings home.  In no particular order, there was:  deviled eggs, stuffed celery, fresh fruit, nuts, two turkeys, a smoked ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, candied yams, Szchewan stir-fry veggies, steamed veggies, a green bean casserole, cranberry-orange relish, three kinds of stuffing, pickles, olives, figs, a chocolate trifle, the Snow family orange rolls, five kinds of home-made pie, and Mike's cocoa-date-nut balls.  Believe me, we all ate way too much, except for Evie...
   After cleaning the Grange, we headed home - which, for me meant Lucy's house.  After I fed and walked her, I went over to Tugger and Sasquatch's and fed and loved them.  Then I went back to Lucy's and collapsed.  Friday morning started with an hour's walk and jog with Lucy, then her breakfast; then over to Tugger and Sasquatch's for their care.  Rosie's walk was next, and a stop by the Snow house to visit with Boo (for Rosie).  Back at Lucy's, I read for an hour or so, and then took her out for her noon walk.  Then I came home to Lovey and Nedi.
  As I stepped inside the apartment, I thought the air smelled damp - like I had just stepped out of the shower - but I hadn't been home for 30 hours...  I closed the door, and stepped onto the hall rug.  It squished under my foot.  I turned on the hall light, and it burnt out as it lit up.  I turned on the closet light, and it burnt out as it lit up.  I stepped into the walk-through closet, and the closet rug squished.  I turned on the bathroom light, and said a few dirty words - the bathroom had more than one inch of water on the floor, covering both rugs in there.  I looked at the tub, which was dry, and switched my eyes to the other side and saw the bathroom sink had backed up and overflowed, and was still at full capacity, with water dripping into the floor and also into the kitty litter boxes.  Super yuck.
  I set my stuff that I had with me at Lucy's on my bed, opened the back door so the kits could go outside and relieve themselves, and walked right over the the apartment manager's office.  I was completely amazed, because, for the first time in 9 months, the office door was open, and JC was at his desk.  I briefly told him what I found, and he followed me back down, bringing a wet vacuum.  I learned very quickly how to wet-vac  and managed to get all the water sucked out of the sink first; after a quick empty run, I had my floor dry.  (I had taken my rugs out onto my patio.)  We put Draino and waited for 45 minutes; then I poured hot water down the drain.  It flowed perfectly - away, down, out of sight.  I was relieved.
  Twenty minutes later, the people who live above me used their garbage disposal.  I walked into my bathroom and watched the water rise in my sink.  So I called JC, since his office was closed, and left a message about what I had just observed; then I sent him an e-mail doing the same.  Then I called our emergency maintenance man - who, it turns out, was out of town.  JC stopped by, looked at my sink, and called the plumber.  Then he relayed the message that the plumber would be here somewhere between 2 and 5 hours from the time of the call.....  At least he came last night, and I didn't have to wait until today to be able to use water again.  (And Martin said that he was getting rice, noodles, celery, potatoes, and peas out of the drain.  He said the folks who live above me must not realize that our units and pipes are over 50 years old, and our disposals are not made like new ones....)
   So I'm going to watch football today and tomorrow, and walk dogs until it gets too cold for us to stir outside (not to mention the snow)...  And I'm going to thoroughly enjoy myself - and not worry about plumbing!

Julie Andrews at CU; The Huckleberry

Actress Julie Andrews was the keynote speaker for the University of Colorado's commencement exercises yesterday, when over 6,000 people received their degrees, and became true Buffaloes.  She said that she had been celebrating Thursday night - starting out on the Pearl Street Mall and ending up at The Sink, where she recognized a lot of folks she had seen during the night...  I liked several of her comments:
 “Be a part of all that is decent and be an ambassador for the kind of world you want to live in."

 “When adversity hits, go out and learn something.”

 “Keep learning as you go. Acknowledge that there will be fear and adversity. Then go out and kick butt.”

“Leave everything you do, every place you go, everything you touch a little better for your having been there.”

 "Use your knowledge, and your heart, to stand up for those who can't stand, speak for those who can't speak, be a beacon of light for those whose lives have become dark."
........

  Rain threatened, but did not dampen, the graduation ceremonies; and most families and students appeared to be in high spirits.

   I had a lunch date with my friend Bea, and she told me she'd take me to Lafayette, to explore a few of the places.  We ended up in Louisville, not Lafayette, but had a wonderful time, anyway.  We visited several shops, and marked five places to try-out for meals, but we ate at The Huckleberry on Main Street.  The food was incredible - and one received a huge portion for the cost of the meal.  They serve breakfast until 3 p.m. at The Huckleberry, and, having seen a huge plate of blueberry pancakes on a diner's table, that ended up being my meal... For $8.75, I received two scrambled eggs, three large slices of bacon, and three seven-to-eight-inch flapjacks that seemed to be half-blueberries and half-batter.  Warmed syrup and fresh butter topped off the cakes.  I was was completely stuffed by the end of the meal, but we had noticed the display of pies and cakes as we waited for our table, and decided to look at the dessert menu.  I made a pig of myself.  I just had to order the huckleberry-peach pie, but resisted the vanilla-bean a-la-mode serving.  It was stupendous.  Everything I ate was cooked to perfection - and I didn't want to leave this nice little restaurant.  It is now on my list of "Favorite Food Places."

   The Huckleberry serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also serves a "High Tea" in the afternoon, with previously made reservations - and the High Tea is incredible, too.  This is taken from their website, found at:  http://www.thehuckleberry.com  -  "Located in Historic Downtown Louisville, Colorado, The Huckleberry is in an historic building dating back to 1894.  Originally the town's Post Office, our building has also served as a bank, a pharmacy, and two different restaurants. The building was also one of the places along the "prohibition tunnels", dug by the miners to get from one saloon to another during the years of Prohibition. 

   Today, the Huckleberry serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in an atmosphere of fun, creative comfort. Our food is created to be FUNKY COUNTRY - real food you recognize and love with a modern twist. "

Snowing

A few flurries of snow are still drifting down and it's 7 degrees outside. I have on a pair of blue Gator sweatpants, blue wool socks, and my orange long-sleeved Broncos T-shirt. The football field at Mile High Stadium was covered with tarps last night, and was still covered a few minutes ago, when the local TV station finished a pre-game broadcast. The snow itself is very fine, light powder; and there has been just enough (here in Boulder) to cover the grass in the back yard. Lovey is curled up on my nightgown in our bed, and Nedi is on the second level of the cat tree, watching the squirrels eat nuts. The crows and ravens were here earlier, and got their craws full of Nutter Butter cookies - there are also a few pieces of the cookies with nuts for the furry ones. I am probably going to take a nap before the Broncos - Ravens football game, as I am already exhausted - even though all I have done is feed the critters outside and in, cleaned the litter boxes, and cooked and eaten breakfast. I feel like I could sleep for a week right now.
  I had my flu shot the second week of October, but apparently, the strain of flu I have wasn't covered in the vaccination I received. Oh, well. Today is my 17th day of sore throat, coughing, itchy eyes, fever and chills, joint aches, sneezing, and a runny nose. I take aspirin during the day and Coricidin HBP before bed. I drink lots of water, lemon tea with a dab of honey, G2, and watered juice. I'm eating chicken noodle and chicken soup, plus lots of sugar-free Jello. I've taken a weeks worth of antibiotics, prednisone, and cough syrup by way of my GP. Right now, I can function for about 90 to 120 minutes before I have to lie down and sleep again. It's the pits. - I see that 47 states are reporting "epidemic" sized flu cases. Hawaii, California, and portions of Nevada and Arizona are the only ones escaping this. When I got sick like this in Florida, Dr. Little would tell me to just "bake it out of your system" meaning I was to sit in the sun all day while drinking plenty of fluids. It's too cold to do that here in Colorado. Wish I was on a dock, or a deck, in Florida at the moment.
  I'll close for today with a cheer for the Broncos and for the Packers in their playoff games - and for whoever plays the Patriots tomorrow.

The Family Thanksgiving...

We had a very nice Thanksgiving get-together; 25 of the 63 we invited came - some couldn't get away, and Grandma Anne is suffering from severe bronchitis, so she stayed up on Sugarloaf Mountain. Some of the younger married couples have already split up since last year and are getting divorced. I spent most of my time with Edna, one of the sisters-in-law's mother. Edna is 78 and has an attention span of less than 90 seconds, so I was worn out by the time the feast was finished. But we had all the normal Thanksgiving dishes, except yams. Sister Kathy cooked the yams with pineapple rings and a little bit of brown sugar, and placed the large pan on top of the range to cool. Something slipped in one of the cabinets, the cabinet door popped open, and a brown glass bowl fell out onto the counter stop beside the range. The bowl shattered. Most of the fragments went into the yams. Luckily, the glass shards didn't cut any person or the two dogs - but the yams were a mess, so they were unceremoniously dumped into a trash bag and into the trash can. Jim, my brother-in-law, was going to "look through" the dish and remove any glass he found, but Kathy and son Mike were able to over-rule him. We had one table of gluten-free snacks and appetizers; and another table of gluten-free main dishes. Then was another larger table with all the goodies that contained gluten. My two fruit and berry platters and the corn pudding was gluten-free, but my brownies were on the other table. I brought home one brownie and a little of the fruit - nothing else....

   There were cheese and crackers, chips and dips, the fruit platters (seedless green and black grapes and pomegranate-infused craisins; and berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries); a 28-pound turkey, with gravy and two kinds of stuffing; a 15-pound ham; mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffed mushrooms, corn pudding, corn bread and orange rolls; and then brownies, white chocolate walnut fudge, apple pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and whipped cream. That's not mentioning the coffee, tea, mulled hot cider, sparkling apple juice, sodas and water that we also had in abundance... Since we were at the Grange building, alcoholic drinks were not allowed - otherwise there would have been wine and beer, too. I walked with brother-in-law Dave over to his house and brought back a couple of floor lamps for more lighting; and was able to view the new gazebo he built last month, and was able to meet the new dog - a pale golden guy with what looks like white wings on his shoulders. His name is Gabriel, and he's part dachshund (and, I think, Corgi); 10 months old and a package of bouncing, active pup.

   My kits were upset with me yesterday because I wouldn't let them out to play. They've been out for 2 hours now, and both have come back inside asking for love. I can't wait to sleep and snuggle with them again. - Today is the last CU home football game for this season (poor guys have won only 1 game so far). I didn't get to see any of the pro football games yesterday, but I've looked at the scores. I was happy to see that the Lions and Redskins were winners. I blew a raspberry at the monitor when I read that the Patriots and defeated the Jets... Tomorrow I'll be cheering for the Gators and the Gamecocks.

   I hope that your Thanksgiving was wonderful, and that this weekend will be even better!

Drought and Prices

I've already exercised Rosie and Remy and Boo and Mona today - and I am pooped.  At 10:20 in the morning, it's 81 degrees with 34% humidity - and that's wet for Colorado air.   Nedi is asleep under my bed, while Lovey has been on the patio watching the maintenance man mow the grass.  More than 61% of the nation's agricultural areas are experiencing drought - and it's the most area, and worst drought conditions, since the year I was born - 1956.  That's not good.  The heat and drought are affecting the costs of everything....
   Here in Colorado, farmers are currently paying 3 times the usual price for hay and grain to supplement their livestock.  A lot of cattle and pigs are going to market early, which means that in the next couple of months, beef and pork will be cheaper than normal and there will be a good supply.  But, come fall, there will be a shortage of those same products ...  not to mention all the corns and other grains and leafy green vegetables that are drying and dying in our fields.  I have read that the cost of what one normally buys will cost at least 15% more within the next 3 months.
   And that doesn't apply only to human food - it will cause the cost of almost all cat and dog foods to rise; horse, goat, beef (which means increased dairy prices, too), chicken, and pig/hog food will also cost more.  This increase in the cost of food for friends, pets, whatever you wish to call them, will probably hurt most those folks on a fixed income - the elderly, who live better lives with a companion animal.  As prices rise, please remember our older friends, human and otherwise, who will need donations to be able to feed themselves and their companions well.  If you can contribute, please give to your local animal shelters and humane societies, as more folks will be unable to pay for the food their pet needs, and will end up "dumping" the animal, or giving it into the care of a shelter...
   The troubles that affect the earth and farmers have an effect on all of us.

Great Music, Bad Food

I missed seeing it yesterday, as I left home for a concert and dinner with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but, thanks to Matt Prater's legs, the Broncos won again in overtime.  The only quarterback currently playing that has a better win-loss ratio this year than Tim Tebow is Aaron Rodgers, who is undefeated with the Green Bay Packers.  With three defensive starters injured during the game, I wasn't sure who would win; but I should have just believed, as always.

Last night's concert was performed by Sound Circle, an a cappella women's group.  Their rendition of "I'll Fly Away" actually choked me up and made me cry.  Several of the of the performances were of poems, with the words set to tones - and some of the three-part harmonies were so moving that they left me breathless.  They are truly a group to see and hear in concert.  Last night, there were only percussion instruments, and a bowed saw used for accompaniment.  One of the "songs" was a group of five percussionists, two using deer antlers, one using dried bean shakers, one using a stick on a spine, and one using a stick on a pelvis.  The concert was truly amazing and absolutely beautiful.  I highly recommend seeing this group perform!

As we were having a late celebration of Bernie's birthday, we also went out for supper.   I have eaten once at Ted's Montana Grill as part of an 8-person sitting; I have eaten there several times by myself, too.  The service has always been excellent, as well as the food being hot and delicious.  We convinced Bernie to try eating at Ted's MT Grill last night - and Kathy, Jim and I wish now that we had not.  Other than having various people frequently refill our water glasses, the service was awful; two-thirds of my plate of food was cold - the mashed potatoes and gravy and the string beans.  Kathy and Jim ate up every bite of their dinners, but I only finished my bison pot roast.  Neither Bernie nor Connie finished their meals, partly because they were cold and partly because the food tasted bad.  So supper was a disaster following a superb concert.

Stuffed

Knowing that Kathy would be very "hurt" if I didn't show up for her anniversary dinner, I made myself go.  Luckily, Anne came down from Sugarloaf, so we sat and talked together, while Kathy and Jim whispered sweet nothings to each other, and the kids and their partners talked across the table.  And, it was lucky, too, that Colterra always has specials that aren't listed on the regular menu.  I think that out of the 8 in our party, only Annie and I had the same meal - pork tenderloin.  Anne had grilled salmon, Sarah had the duck comfy, Mike had the halibut, and I don't remember what Michael, Jim and Kathy ordered.  Then we ordered 4 different desserts and shared them around the table - not to mention the roasted almonds, gnocchi and buffalo carpaccio that were the appetizers...  I ended up completely stuffed.  We were the last patrons in the restaurant, and once we got back to Boulder, I read a couple of chapters and then zonked out.  And I slept in this morning until after 7 a.m. -  I still feel more than half-asleep.

Rosie and Remy were very excited to see me this morning - and we had a very good walk, even though I did reprimand Rosie for pulling so much.  We met several new dogs, and the reds were well behaved.  I had forgotten that today was the first day of school in our District for the kindergartners, first graders, sixth graders and ninth graders.  The Rs and I walked by Centennial Middle School, and it looked like a huge ant-hill had been poked savagely with a stick.  There were new students and parents running around like mad - even double parking on the street.  It was amazing to watch.  ...  Shady and Cloudy are doing well.  We had a thunder and lightning storm about 3 yesterday afternoon, and they both came to me and voiced their complaints about the rain.  ...  My kits are fine - everyone is laying on the patio in the shade at the moment, and I can see all of them through the door and window.  Nedi is engrossed with catching large brown grasshoppers this week - I've had to remove several leg pieces from my keyboard since Saturday.  Not much else is going on - I have another follow-up appointment with Dr. Pohlman about the fistula tomorrow afternoon.  It's not completely healed, but it's getting there.

There is a wildfire in the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge that was caused by lightning a couple of weeks ago.  The fire has burned over 6,150 acres and is still only 10% contained, it is now burning in both Virginia and North Carolina.  Due to the continuing smoke and ash, they've been having air warnings posted as far away as Baltimore, D.C., and the entire Eastern Shore - Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.  I really love Chincoteague and Assateague, but at the moment, I'm happy I'm not there.  And the US Government is looking for input from users of the Assateague National Seashore and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge regarding four proposals concerning the future of the barrier island. - the main question is what do they do about global warming, and the rising of the Atlantic from it; how will this affect such a low, sandy, barrier island?  There are meetings open to the public in Ocean City, Berlin, and Wallops Island for your comments.

Very Little

I've had two e-mails from Alexy since she arrived in England.  While wandering in the City of London, near the Barbican, she was busy looking at the architecture ...  and suddenly found herself surrounded by hundreds of people, all walking purposefully down the street.  She was swept along with the crowd, and finally asked someone she was walking next to what was happening.  Turns out that she had gotten swept up in a building-wide fire drill that involved over 700 people.  Then, the day before yesterday, she got herself lost in the Cotswolds - she had gone out for a walk and lost her way.  I wrote back that there was no way anyone could get lost in the Cotswolds - but she was too shy to ask for directions.  (She was visiting her niece near Stowe in the Wold.)

All the kits are in fine fettle.  I made skettie for supper last night; and was disappointed to find that I couldn't watch any football.  (I could have seen one game, if I had been at home.)  Today is Kathy and Jim's 30th wedding anniversary.  I've been invited to join everyone at Colterra, a French restaurant in Niwot, owned by one of the neighbors, Brad Heap.  (He also owns Salt, the Bistro, here in Boulder.)  I just looked at the menu for tonight and I think I'll opt out and stay at home - the only thing on the menu I could order would be crispy duck breast at $36 a plate.  And I don't think any duck breast is worth that... 

Busy, Busy, Busy

Yesterday was hot and muggy by Colorado standards. Today we have bright sunshine, little to no cloud cover, and a nice breeze.  It was very nice out while walking the red kids early this morning, but by 10 a.m., it felt warm.  I am still staying with Lucy (at the moment); I move in with Maggie May about 10 tomorrow, and then begin caring for the Thore pets at 2 p.m.  I'll also be walking the red kids twice a day through the 4th of July, so, in essence, I'm taking care of 4 houses, with the exception of feeding Rosie and Remy.  I'll have Lynn's van to use for transport through Tuesday evening, so that will  make things much easier to get back and forth from seeing my kits during the holiday weekend.  (I'm spoiled.  I'm used to the buses I regularly use running every 15 to 30 minutes - on holiday weekends, they only run once an hour, and if you miss your connection, you've got another hour added on just to go one way....)
My regular bus drivers asked me to bake for them again.  I'll bake next Thursday, and will make Berry Uglies and brownies.  I'll make the Berry Uglies because fresh berries are currently on sale - buy one, get one free, for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  And I'll eat whatever I don't use in baking. -  And we've got lots of fresh, locally grown corn available, too.  Mmmm -Mmmmm. Five ears for a dollar. (Of course, I can remember 2 dozen for a dollar - but that was long ago.)
The kits were very happy to see me arrive this morning - all three talked and talked and talked to me.  I fed them, loved them, and cleaned the litter boxes, then sat at my desk.  Nedi has been nursing on my right arm and Lovey sprawled over the divider counter, and spoke to me while I read my e-mail.  And this is happening while the door to the patio is wide open...
The man who stabbed his five-month-old puppy (Diamond) has been placed in solitary confinement in the Denver jail because the other inmates want to kill him.  He still says he did nothing wrong and was protecting himself because the puppy had bitten and scratched him.  The poor pup has a lot of healing and rehab to look forward to, even though calls are pouring in from people wanting to adopt her.
Here's hoping you a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!  (And please remember all  of those who have served, and are now serving, our country!)

Dinner, Nederland, and Critters

Let me sing the praises of Ted's Montana Grill! My nephew Mike loves spicy food, and my sister was trying to steer him toward a couple of Mongolian restaurants, when she found a listing for Ted's. Knowing my preference for plain cooking, my wonderful nephew chose Ted's Montana Grill. Oh, my.... If you like beef, bison, trout, salmon, and organic veggies, Ted's is the place for you to go. Kathy had the cedar plank trout; Mike had prime rib; Annie had bison short ribs; Jim had sirloin; Sarah and Michael had bison burgers; and I had bison pot roast. We all got different side dishes, and were glad we had been given a round table, as we passed all the sides, appetizers, and desserts around the table for everyone to try. I had roasted asparagus, Mike had broccoli in butter, Jim had squash casserole, Annie had green beans, plus there were mashed potatoes and gravy, fries, onion rings, chutney and sweet and sour half-pickles. It was a gourmet experience. Mike said it was the best meal he's had in his entire life (all of 29 years) - and the best prime rib. I must admit that the sage on the prime rib made it special. My bison pot roast was falling in shreds off the fork, and everyone agreed (even Michael, the gourmet cook) that it was a superb meal. Mike got a huge cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie with a scoop each of homemade chocolate and vanilla ice cream; Kathy chose the Kahlua chocolate fudge brownie sundae; and Jim got the hot apple caramel crisp with vanilla ice cream. Each of the desserts was sent around the table, too. Yum!!!
Besides being Mike's birthday, yesterday also kicked off our local Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland. Today there is a parade, the coffin races, the frozen salmon, turkey, and rump roast throws, multiple dances, the Polar Plunge for charity, as well as many other really cool events. If you're in the area, or would just like to know more about Frozen Dead Guy Days, please visit: http://www.nederlandchamber.org/events_fdgd-events.html You can even visit Grandpa Bredo in his Tuff Shed, packed in dry ice, if you really want to be a bit macabre.
Skippy decided that I needed a lot of grooming after I returned from dinner last night - after 2 hours of having my face, ears, neck, arms and hands being washed, I finally told him "No" and put him on the floor. Finn has been a wonderful dear, and I think, will happily trade a toy for the newspaper when David and Susan return. He is a very bright dog, and really wants to please. Lovey and Nedi seem to be happy to be back home - they are currently running in and out the patio door, jumping in my lap for loving, and then hurrying back outside so they won't miss anything. I did have to laugh yesterday - when I checked the local headlines at noon, there were huge warnings everywhere that Boulder was going to get at least 4 inches of snow before 11 p.m. I don't know where it went, but it certainly did not happen in either northern or central Boulder! I hope to download my photos from the past two weeks tomorrow - then I can share Finn, Skippy, Lovey and Nedi with you. They have all been delightful kids!

Salt is Super!

I had my hair chopped yesterday - clippered up the back and above the ears, with two inches left on top - my usual Gibbs cut (from NCIS). It is so much cooler! The cut took 3 inches off all over, and I'm happy with the result. I wrapped Kathy and Jim's framed painting with 2.5 yards of pastel-printed butterfly cloth, and then securely tied it with four pastel ribbons. (Neddy was extremely happy and excited to help me with the ribbons.) Just before 6 p.m., I walked over to Sunflower, greeted Kathy, and passed on through the market to wait for her on the east side. When she got off work, she changed clothes and came out to join me; Jim had just arrived with the truck, so we climbed in and headed for Salt.
When we arrived, we found we had a 30 minute wait for a table (they only accept reservations for parties of 5 and over), so we walked back to the truck and they opened their card and gift. We had just moseyed back to the restaurant when the hostess came to us and had us seated. It was the beginning of a fine gastronomic experience. We were kept supplied with two types of freshly made bread (one white, one dark) and butter throughout the meal. To start, we had the Artisan Cheese Board, followed by our selected entrees, and then the dessert menu. Jim's tummy was just a bit off, so he declined ordering a dessert for himself (but he had finished my entree) - Kathy had the dark chocolate caramel tart with coffee and chocolate ribbed ice cream, while I had fresh Colorado peach cobbler with cornmeal and maple syrup streusel and a dollop of creme fraiche ice cream. Jim ate half of my dessert, and had several tastes of Kathy's. It was scrumptious!
I have all the kits' things together to go to Kathy ad Jim's this afternoon. I have my food packed, but not my clothes as yet. The kits are currently running in and out of the patio door, and I have the The Iron Sheriff playing on the TV. Our local CBS channel will carry the Broncos' game this afternoon, so I'll be able to see it. So it's off to the Snow house we go this afternoon. I hope your week is delightful!