Before
After
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Before
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After - okay, not really. Sure felt that way though.
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After, always, constantly, incessantly...
Not a bad way to spend one’s birthday. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go be a lazy bum for the rest of the day. 
Okay, you’re going to need a few things.
Method:
Turn the leaf blower on high, point it at the sky. Carefully balance the hockey ball in/on the upward shooting column of air. Allow ball to find the sweet spot for floating. Wait for dogs to notice that you have “A BALL!!!!!”
Wait, it's not just a noisy yard implement! There's a BALL!
Almost, almost, almost...
Pretty sure Stell thought she was sneaking up on it in this one.
Enjoy goofy faces the dogs make as their rather floppily lips pass over the upward column of air. Brilliant entertainment that could go on for hours if the dogs had their way.
Lather, rinse, repeat until you can’t stand the barking anymore.
In other news, my dad is doing so much better! Thank you for all the good thoughts and healthful vibes. The steroids seem to be knocking down the inflammation in the colon and that points towards it not being cancer. Amazing huzzah! Still waiting for the biopsy results to be sure but it’s looking so much better than a week ago. He’s also paint free for the first time in weeks and wanting to go home. Amazing, just amazing.
So much tension and stress just kind of melted away with that news. Tonight? It’s celebration time. Lectio, Fred, Jocelyn and I will be watching a movie together via Twitter. A baaaaddddd movie. Clash of the Titans! Happy Saturday everyone.
Exactly! Getting to leave work at 12:00 and then a lunch of McNuggets. Mmmmmmm. So bad, but so good!
Might I strongly suggest you avoid the holiday cranberry dipping sauce though. Blech!
The other best part of today? A co-worker got a new pup two days ago and decided she’d bring him in to the office for the 1/2 day. Boston Terrier, 5 months old, beyond placid, puppy breath, and such a cuddler. So cute! He spent a good part of the morning chewing his toy and sleeping on my desk.
Later, we may have played a bit of dress-up with him.
I’m not proud, but gosh he was cute!
This evening will be spent cuddled up with my dogs and knitting and books. Just like the perfect Christmas Eve should be. For some reason A Christmas Carol, (the Alastair Sim version), was on TV last night so we’re watching The Mummy. Not really sure how that factors into festivus, but at least it’s an amusing movie.
Happy Christmas to all and I wish you a most excellent 2011!
So, a couple of friends and I are going to see the Dog Whisperer in October. No, go ahead, you giggle, I’ll wait. Heck, I’m giggling. Wait ’til you see how much I paid for my not so great ticket. Anyway, we’ll get to that. First though, I received my ticket this week. Have a look:
Okay, National Geographic Presents, right well that’s good, they do good work, glad to help them out, Cesar Millan Live, right, right, got that….huh?
NO DOGS PERMITTED
Really? For $100 I think I should be allowed to take Crazy Stella to the show. Wait, there’s more. I’m in the cheap seats. The good seats were $249 each. And still you cannot bring your dog. For $249, I think Cesar should come to your house, help you and your dog to live better lives together, and, yes, AND, do poo patrol in the back yard. Just saying.
All that aside, you just know that someone will not read their ticket and will bring their chihuahua, El Diablo to the show. I can’t wait to report back to you. 
No, it’s freaking hot in here! Sorry, delicate snowflake that I am, I don’t handle the heat well. That is why I knit & crochet. I can make clothes that will keep me warm. I can’t knit anything that will keep me cool. Right now I’m bordering on wandering around the house naked in search of any small breeze. Not pretty folks, not pretty.
It went from a lovely 22 – 24 degrees Celsius to a whopping 32 degrees Celsius in about 18 hours. Even the garden looks a little shocky and wilty. I also found out why I’ve had no zucchinis in almost a week. Yeah, that would be Stella the wonder dog. She jumps from the deck into the squash garden and just eats and eats and eats. Dog is crazy. Now I have to figure out some sort of Stella gate to keep her out so I can use my new slicer on some fresh zucchinis.
Mr. B’s back is still all tweaked. We did manage to get to the grocery store and the library today though. Friday book day!
I was sure that I had already read this Michael Pollan book, but nope. I must have been confusing it with a different one. I haven’t had a chance to look through Sew What! Skirt yet. I’m hoping it will be inspiring. Skirts are cooler than pants, right? I also picked up this little gem at Lee Valley yesterday:
The Truth About Garden Remedies. I can’t wait. All kinds of gardening urban legends and old wives tales. Oh, and a Gardens West magazine. Why? Um, the article entitled War on Weeds. Oh yeah buttercups and morning-glory! I’m looking at you. I was also smitten with those pretty chairs on the cover and was hoping the Mr. B might be inspired to make a couple once he’s feeling better.
I even cast on a new project. Damselfly had a lovely little handspun scarflette/kerchief on her blog the other day and I sort of stole the idea, tweaked it a bit, and finally dragged out some of my handspun to knit.
Okay, that’s all I got. It’s hot and I’m melting. Keep cool everyone.
Which translates into the fact the I’ve stopped ignoring the sad 1/2 done quilt.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. What? Dory isn’t your philosopher of choice? Meh.
Today started a bit weird though. When I opened the front door I found this rather large fellow hanging off my screen door.
This little fellow was over an inch long. It’s called a Ten Stripe June Bug. Now, I’ve lived in Surrey almost all my life and I have never seen anything like this guy. Without the legs he sort of reminds me of a humbug candy. Added bonus? When he’s scared/feeling threatened, he hisses. You can just hear the hissing at around 18 or 19 seconds of this wee badly shot video.
It was just a weird version of Bug’s Life at our house today.
He hung there for over four hours this morning. Just scaring the dog with the hissing and creeping me out with the antennae. Have I mentioned how little I love the world of bugs? I know, I know, the gardening does make that vaguely ironic.
Currently, there are at least 76 balls in our house. Some orange road hockey balls (you Canadians, explain to everyone else), and racquetball balls. Doesn’t matter. These two will always argue over who gets the ball. Case in point, arguing over an orange ball:
Stella won this round:
Yep, that’s Tuesday.
There was some baking, three kinds of muffins. Four dozen in total.
Hubby worked on organizing his truck stock in his van. Abbie was desperate to assist.
We had a bit of sunshine which Jane took advantage of for a little impromptu sun bathing.
Then I flat out lost my mind and started making a quilt.
‘Cause you know, it’s spring and I have a huge garden planted and dogs & cats to take care of and work and blah, blah, blah.
Oh well, seemed like a good idea t the time.
And last but certainly not least, I’d like everyone to send out a positive healthy thought to my mom. She’s having a bit of a hard time health wise right now and I think a bunch of random happy thoughts would do her a world of good. Thanks.
To whatever gods are messing with my little dysfunctional household, I give. I capitulate. You win. Full surrender. Why you say? This. Just this.
Yep, that’s the nefarious Abbie in a brand new cone of silence. Her and Stella got into it again and this time, Stella won. Wanna see her ‘stitches’? Sure you do!
Super cool metal surgical staples. Oh yeah, FrankenAbbie. Snort. At least this time the bill was only $113.00. Bargain, right? She’s fine. A bit upset about the whole cone thing of course, but she has antibiotics and pain meds and the world is all good.
Before all that happened, we managed to bring home 5 loads of dirt in the wee pickup. It looks like 2 more and we’ll be all done.
Hubby also made the first of the little cloches to keep my baby seedlings warm overnight. They are all out there now. Tucked in safe and warm for the night. Provided no Rattus Barbecuis come lurking.
And now, this will be me for the rest of evening. Drowning my sorrows if you will.
Screw you May Day, I’ve had just about enough of you. Bahahahahaha.
So, on Sunday, after all the yard work I was relaxing in the yard. Book in hand, sun on my face, dogs scampering around. Bucolic really. Then all of a sudden the dogs ran over to the barbecue and began circling it and looking rather frantic. Stella almost knocked it off the deck. Odd, no?
I noticed the husband standing at the back door, up 10 steps and 40 feet away, (don’t worry, this is important in a moment), and I asked him what was wrong with his dogs?!?!!?! He shrugged, they kept running around like mad things, and I was getting frustrated. The barbecue is relatively new and I don’t feel like having it ruined by spastic dogs.
Hubby gives his opinion, ‘Maybe there’s something in the barbecue. Open it up.”
“Um, no. You come open it. You’re the male after all.” Not proud, I totally went the sexist wimpy female route.
“Maybe it’s a rat,” he says, “just open the lid and see.”
What followed was a back and forth of no and yes and you do it and I’m not going to do it and you’re mental if you think I’m going to open this thing.
Finally, I manned up (ironic, right?), and opened the barbecue lid. Yep, a rat. A bit one too. All brown and quivering whiskers and shiny black eyes just sitting there in the farthest corner away from me on top of the grill.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love rodents. I’ve shared my home with hamsters, gerbils, degus, mice, rats, and rabbits. Rodents are lovely creatures. Just not wild and in my barbecue and apparently eating leftover bits from the grills. Down went the lid. I’m proud to say I didn’t drop or slam down the lid, but I did close it at a pretty good rate of speed. Hubby tells me there was a rather unique squealing noise emitting from my mouth. I have no memory of this.
Hubby then stepped in to help, again from the relative safety of 10 steps up and 40 feet away. “Open the lid and let it out.” The dogs wholeheartedly backed this plan of action. They were still dancing around and whining like fools.
Me, “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, you #*$&(&$. You come down here and deal with this.”
Again with the yes, no, you do it, no you do it, I’m so not doing it conversation. I swear, he was smirking. I have no proof of this as it was awfully sunny and I’m a bit blind, but I’m pretty sure he was amused by the entire thing.
FINE. Yep, said it just like that. You women out there, you know the FINE I’m talking about. I opened that lid and now Mr. Ratty was in the corner right beside me, frightened by the dogs no doubt. More whiskers and little shiny black eyes and then he flung himself over the edge of the barbecue, (luckily not close to my hand or I would have dropped the lid and squished him, and zipped away into the bushes. The dogs completely missed the escape and rattus barbecueus was safely away.
Husband was giggling like a fool because apparently I was making the high-pitched squeally noise again. Bad man.
Posted in dogs
