A Jackalope - haven't seen many since the snow fell...

Gator Bait!

I have to admit that Kathy and Jim's neighbors were treated (?) to a rousing rendition of "We Are the Boys From Old Florida" at the end of the SEC Championship game yesterday evening, as I went out to check the mail. At one point in time, the announcer said, "With 7 minutes to go in the final quarter, the Gators are ahead by 4 points." I sassed right back to him, "Yeah! And it'll soon be 11 points!" I was tremendously pleased with myself when the Gators did win by 11 points!

I'm currently at my place, with the patio door open - a squirrel is giving Lovey what-for from the fence, and Banichi is under one of the peanut chairs. I swept my patio today for the first time in 2 weeks; I was amazed by the amount of dirt that had blown in... There were tons of leaves, a few bird feathers, and some paper trash that had blown in, too - but I swept out over 2 cups full of plain old dirt.... I know the kits are partly to blame, because they love to go roll in the dirt and grass - but I was really surprised there was so much dirt...

Boo is still driving Suki crazy. I took Suki upstairs with me last night while I worked on the computer, and left Boo downstairs. When we came down, Boo was comfortably asleep in the recliner in the living room, and Suki had gotten a respite for 2 hours... The furnace is still not blowing air through the vents, but it is running, so I guess it'll keep the pipes from freezing. We come under a Winter Weather Advisory at 6 tonight, and are expecting more snow Monday and Tuesday. I think I might make a pumpkin pie this afternoon (while the Broncos play)...

PC World, the magazine, has listed the 11 worst blogs found on the internet - I'm happy to say I wasn't included. - And, I mentioned a few days ago that I had just read a Clive Cussler book and was beginning a C. Coulter FBI thriller; the Cussler book was about the Oregon, a ship captained by Juan Cabrillo, and I laughed myself silly when I read in the Coulter novel, TailSpin, that the pilot had been reading a "Juan Cabrillo novel"!! Might Ms. Coulter enjoy reading Mr. Cussler's books? I certainly enjoy both! (And, thank you, Kathryn, for pointing me at Ms. Coulter!)
I'm walking Rosie and Remy in the morning, then heading to see Colleen; I might not get my blog up until the afternoon - but it will, as Manuel always said, 'ee-ven-tual-lee" get posted.

Great-grandfather Mobley's Storefront, Nevada, MO

I'm not sure which, but one of the three red brick store fronts was where my Great-grandfather, Hazel Petree (H.P.) Mobley, ran his dry goods store and was a Justice of the Peace on South Main Street in Nevada, Missouri. His daughter Julia Sophia married Thaddeus Lancaster, and their house was three blocks away from this store.

Stones of Callanish, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Furnace fixed.... - Or is it?

Just checked my e-mail again, and there's a note from a guy (apparently in Peru with Kathy and Jim) with very direct instructions from Jim - even telling me what component hasn't been working correctly. The problem is, he says to call Bernie's and use a coupon; I called Meyer's and didn't. Bill, the man from Meyers, replaced the igniter on the furnace yesterday and turned the thermostat up and down, turning the furnace on and off a few times - it worked well. It was one when I left to run errands yesterday afternoon - including seeing and feeding Lovey and Banichi and our outdoor buddies. When I returned, the furnace was still working; last night, it seemed as if it was getting very chilly inside, so I checked the thermostat - 58 degrees. Rats! I turned the thermostat and heard it click; there was a faint roar, like the furnace had turned on, but no air came through the vents - warm, cool, or otherwise. That's the way it stands now... and I called last night and asked Meyers to return sometime Monday - Friday to figure out what was needed.... Do I cancel them? Do I now call Bernie's? Woe is me! What do I do? My little grey pony has lost a shoe!

Suki is getting frantic in her avoidance of Boo right now - Boo sleeps in her crate, so Suki does get 8 hours of respite, but I do feel for her - and frequently try to keep Boo distracted so that Suki can hide under the bed or get into a defensive corner. Lovey and Banichi are very happy here at home, so I don't think I'll move them - what with Boo being in season and Suki being so snappy - of course, they do seem to miss me, and are stuck like glue to me when I get home for a few hours. I miss them terribly - I miss their little burbles and mews they make for attention, I miss their bodies in bed with me, I miss Banichi grooming my hair and Lovey burrowing under the covers and grabbing my toes. And I have another 8 days with Suki and Boo before getting to spend a few days and nights at home. Five days at home, and then I see Lucy and Pepper...

We're supposed to have a pretty warm weekend - temps in the 50s, lows in the 30s; then Monday and Tuesday we're expecting snow again, with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens. At least I now know that I can keep the pipes from freezing at Kathy's and don't have to worry about that. I walked over to Lucky's (a grocery store) the other night, and found myself with three does and a buck mule deer in front of me. They just ambled along at a walk ahead of me, and although they had multiple opportunities to turn off into the woods and/or yards, they just walked ahead of me for about a mile.... I felt like a shepherd, only with deer (maybe I mean a Laplander?)....

I have to go see Colleen and get my hypertension medicine renewed Monday morning; Thursday I get to talk to Jed for 30 minutes; and a week after Jed I see Nancy for an hour - you can't say I'm neglecting myself, seeing all my Docs and therapists within an 11 day period. In February, it'll be time for the kits to see the vet for their yearly check-ups and shots, tags and registrations. Since I live in the City, the kits have to have their rabies tags as well as a city of Boulder registration tag. Of course, the tags live in a drawer in my desk, since the kits don't wear collars unless we're traveling.

Have a great weekend! (And - Gooooooo Gators!)

Furnace Problems while Pet-Sitting

I never could get the furnace to turn on yesterday - don't know if it's the furnace or the old thermostat... The thermostat (and I think the furnace, too) is the one that the house was built with about 60+ years ago. The outer ring of the round thermostat is broken off, and one can see the mercury switch inside quite easily.... Anyway, I e-mailed Amazonia Expeditions and received an replay that said "Dear Betty, Please call for repair." This, of course, is the first really big cold snap and snowfall of the season - I was lucky to get one of the old Boulder family businesses that is available to come out and see what's wrong today - most places had waits up until Tuesday. Meyers Heating is supposed to be here around 11 a.m. - if they're on time, I hope to get in a visit to my apartment this afternoon. It was 8 degrees this morning when I got up and fed the girls - the TV said the wind chill was -12....

I've kept the house warm with a small space heater from my apartment, a small space heater from the house, and the oven is set at 400, with the door cracked open; and the faucets in the bathrooms and kitchen are still dripping water, so I don't think the pipes froze. - Luckily the oven is at my chest height, or the dogs would probably want to stick their noses in it. - Boo is in season and is driving her mom, Suki, crazy. Jim was going to have Boo spayed after her last try at motherhood, but didn't get around to it. So Boo has decided she has to be the dominant dog, and is constantly mounting Suki. Suki has gotten extremely snappy, and comes to me for protection. And, of course, Boo can't figure out why her Momma is snapping at her....

I got both of my soldier's Christmas packages sent off to him - mailed one yesterday and the first the day before that. The USPS says that Matt should receive them before Christmas - I hope so. I want to get home to my kits, and love and feed them; and I know the bird feeders need to be re-filled and the squirrels will be looking for their usual handout of nuts... but I've got to be here at the house for a confirmation call from Meyers, and be here for their visit - especially since the furnace is, I believe, located under the house, and the only access is through the Samoyed's kennel on the west side of the house...
And, unless you're an Alabama alumni, please cheer for the Gators tomorrow in the SEC Championship game! I'll be watching and yelling, you can be sure!

Boulder? Nope! New Zealand!

This was taken at Arthur's Pass National Park, South Island, New Zealand.