More Meme Madness....

There’s no question that I love meme’s!! First of all, they give me something to write about when I’m stumped – or when I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to think hard enough to come up with a reasonably clever topic. Also, I like reading them when they’re posted by my blog buddies because they help me get to know you a little better. I stole this one from Miscellanea (thanks Kathy). It was particularly hard for me though – really made me use my noodle. You try coming up with the right answers when they have to start with Z. People with names like Ann have it easy.

Ann and Andy are archeologists and wear apricot aprons while allowing apple martinis to be abandoned in the abbey.

The object is to answer each question, The catch is the answer must start with the same letter as your name. So here goes:

1. What is your name? Zan
2. A four-letter word: zany
3. A boy's name: Zeus
4. A girl's name: Zena
5. An occupation: zeppelin pilot or zookeeper
6. A color: zebra striped (OK I’m stretching it – you think of a z color)
7. Something you wear: zinnias - you know –flowers in your hair
8. A food: zucchini
9. Something found in the bathroom: zinc oxide
10. A place: Zululand
11. A reason for being late: zipped past your street
12. Something you shout: Zounds!
13. A movie title: “Z”
14. Something you drink: Zinfandel
15. A musical group: ZZ Top
16. An animal: zebra (OK I cheated and used zebra twice - you think of another animal that starts with a z)
17. A street name: Zephyr Way
18. A type of car: Zimmer
19. The title of a song: Zipity Do Dah
20. A verb: zoom

If you read this, and feel like continuing to spread this particular meme virus, have at it!

Memory Maelstorm.....

I was tagged by the Greytblackdog to post the 6^th picture in my 6^th picture folder and explain it. Since I was already tagged with that meme a while back, I won’t repeat myself, but the tag did get me started looking back at old pictures. Not too long ago, Wheeler’s English teacher gave them what I thought was a kind of interesting homework assignment. They had to find an old picture of themselves and write about what they were thinking and feeling when the photo was taken. Since the pictures that they had to choose from were very old, I don’t think any of them could really remember what they were feeling. In fact, Wheeler said it was more like writing about a complete stranger.

I decided that this exercise might make an interesting blog post, or at least might be fun for me. Of course, I’ve never been one to follow rules – and besides, since I’m almost always the one who pulls out the camera, there are very, very few photos with me actually in the pictures. I decided to make my own rules, pick one of my favorites, and write about what I was feeling when I took it.

During the summer of 2007, we took our first ever long vacation – a two and a half week road trip up the Pacific coast. We started in San Francisco and ended up in Seattle. To add to the excitement, in addition to Wheeler, two of my nieces, Amanda and Alexandra, came along.

This picture was taken while sailing on a catamaran in San Francisco Bay our first day there. We’d gotten up at the crack of dawn and taken an 8AM flight and were sailing by that afternoon. What could be better? We were all excited about our trip – on the first day it felt like we had all the time in the world. Everyone was tired, but very pumped. I guess if I had to write a caption for the photo, it might be “Anticipation!”

I really tried to choose only one pic from that trip (see I can’t even follow my own rules,) but I couldn’t resist including this shot of the kids acting like total tourists and hanging off a cable car. Goofy and touristy – absolutely – but we were just having so much fun!! The picture was taken the day after the silliness on the sailboat. That trip shaped up to be more fun that we ever expected and I wish we could go on just such an odyssey every year!

I had so much fun taking a trip down memory lane, I think I’ll pull out old pics and subject you to them from time to time.

Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens, These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.....Memed Again...

Alex at Hope and Greyz posted this meme on her blog and tagged anyone interested to respond and pass the meme along. I love this sort of thing; it sort of lets me get to know myself better while I’m learning about my fellow bloggers. So here goes:

1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? Sadly, I can’t remember. We watch tons of movies on DVD though. We’ve been on an old (or old to Wheeler) war movie jag lately and watched Platoon last Friday. We try to watch a movie as a family once a week when we can and try to appeal to teen boy tastes. He complains about having to hang out with us, but usually ends up enjoying the flick if I’ve picked well. Platoon had just enough explosive stuff to keep him interested.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? At the moment Marley and Me is accompanying me to wrestling matches to fill in the copious waiting time between matches. I’m also reading Harvesting the Heart, and a travel guide for Washington, DC.

3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Monopoly or Risk

4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE? Hmmm, I guess ”Whole Dog Journal.” Does that count?

5) FAVORITE SMELLS? Freshly cut grass, the air after a spring rain, popcorn, campfires, puppy breath

6) FAVORITE SOUNDS? Waves crashing on the beach, gulls calling, rain falling on a tin roof

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? That punch in the gut feeling you get when you see you child hurt

8 ) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK WHEN YOU FIRST WAKE UP? Is it morning already? Can I hit snooze at least once and still get Wheeler to school on time?

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Willy’s

10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? Too late for more now!!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D....give more to charity.

12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? Probably

13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? No, but one of my dogs sleeps on the foot of the bed. Does that count?

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Cool- I love watching thunderstorms over the ocean.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? A ‘66 Chevrolet Impala in a stunning aqua color

16) FAVORITE DRINK? Dirty Martini, Woodford Reserve (bourbon) straight up, hot chocolate

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT - IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD...be way more organized

18 ) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Yes

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Ummm, I do color my hair and I guess I do dye it the color I want.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? My list is very boring and quite short. Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN(only if college counts)

21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Gymnastics, diving, and baseball if I’m at the game

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Greyhound lover, great mom, and sculptor extraordinaire!!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Dog and cat hair – and the pump for my air bed (which I love)

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? Sure, why not. Who else could I be?

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Night owl – definitely!!

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Neither – omelet please

27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX? My big leather chair with ottoman in my family room

28 ) FAVORITE PIE? Are there any I don’t like?

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chocolate chip

If you’re still with me and want to participate, consider yourself tagged. If you get a chance, leave me a comment telling me that you got the tag and responded. I don’t want to miss your answers!!

This post is About Nothing.......

I’ve been very quiet lately. It’s amazing how much time blogging takes up…and that’s without ever actually posting anything. I am working on a real post, but I keep getting sidetracked playing with my blog. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted more words and less blank space on the page. I also wanted a signature. Once I added to the wish list a snazzy banner (still haven’t figured out how to achieve that goal to my satisfaction) I managed to burn up a whole lot of time accomplishing a whole lot of nothing. Actually I’ve had fun playing around with the html code, but I still have a lot to learn. I guess it’s the modern version of tinkering around under the hood of a car except you get to keep your hands clean.

Meanwhile, I’ll bore you with a couple of kitty Christmas pictures, just because I think they’re cute. Zach is the orange tabby and Harry is the flame point siamesish kitty.

See, I warned you that this post is about nothing....

I'm an Airhead and a Spendthrift......

I feel like a complete idiot. Why you ask am I making such a broad self depreciating statement? Well stick around a minute and I’ll tell you, but first I need to fill you in on a little background.

Last night Wheeler came home from wrestling practice and headed upstairs for his usual long teenager shower. Those of you with teen know what I mean. When he finished we ate dinner and then I washed the dishes. OK nothing unusual yet. I found that no matter how long I let the water run, it never warmed up. At the time, I thought Wheels had used all the hot water and chalked dishes washed in cold water up to living in the house with a teen aged boy.

Fast forward to bed time. As I ran the water to warm it up so I could wash my face, I discovered, yep you guessed it, still no hot water. A trip to the basement revealed the pilot light was out. OK, no biggy, I can light a pilot light. I’ve done so before, although not on this particular appliance. In fact, in my younger days I lived in a apartment with only a gas space heater and a stick to control the temperature. If I’d waited for the maintenance guy to light the pilot light in the fall, I’d have frozen to death. But I digress; back to the story at hand. It was late, I was tired, and apparently uncoordinated. After some cussing, I decided that something was in fact really wrong with my 4 year old hot water heater as the stupid thing wouldn’t light and stay lit.

Fast forward to this morning. Yep, you guessed right again, I just paid a plumber $175 to light my hot water heater's pilot light. I still don’t know why it went out. The plumber was a nice guy and tried to make me feel less like a dumb ass. Why it wouldn’t light for me I'll never know and I could kick myself for not trying again after a good night sleep. So now can you see why I feel like a complete idiot?!?

Back to Normal

The holidays are over for another year – thank god ! The decorations are down and safely packed away except for the wreath hanging on the garage that requires two people and the ladder to take down. I’m going to tackle it by myself anyway if I can’t enlist aid before the week-end. It’s driving me nuts!! I thought the holidays had left me with lots of blog fodder, but every time a start a post I end up deleting it as it sounds whiny or stupid or something. Oops!! See I’m starting to sound whiny – sorry :-)!!

It’s been wet and rainy here, between that and holiday obligations, the hounds and I've sort of gotten off schedule with our daily walks. Today the rain has finally given way to a semi sunny blustery day, so we set out for a good long tromp in the park. Rosie was, as usual, overly exuberant for about the first mile, then settled down once the excitement of being out walking and smelling the smells wore off. Blustery days are always fun. My guys are not only interested in the stray squirrels, but blowing leaves are also fodder for a second or third look.

It’s always interesting to watch people walking in the park. Most folks are just trying to get some exercise in a place where they don’t have to constantly worry about being hit by a speeding car. You pretty much see the same people every day. There are the friendly people who obliviously consider their daily walk a social event. We’ve made friends with several of them over the years. One older couple doesn’t have any pups of their own anymore. They travel a lot and have moved into a small condo, but always carry dogs treats and love seeing and loving on friendly pups. It’s amazing how much you learn about people after years of quick park conversations. I’ve come to expect seeing these folks, and miss them when they aren’t around.

There are also the people who walk on the wrong side of the trail. Instead of keeping right, they keep left. I never know quite which side to pass them on. Are they refugees from the UK and just haven’t noticed that the convention here is to keep right? Not that it really matters where they walk, it just sometimes make for confusing meetings – kind of an I go right, you go left, – oops sorry, do- si- do dance. I guess you could call them the rebels of the trail ;-)!

There’s lots of interesting wildlife also and our park by the river attracts birdwatchers. I don’t know a finch from a sparrow, but most of the hard core bird watchers are willing to tell you what they’ve seen and when. I met a guy last fall who made it all sound so interesting I resolved to get a book and do some bird spying. I haven’t actually done it, but he convinced me that someday I might like IDing some birds myself.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this little essay. I guess the point is reflected in the title of this post. Holidays are always fun. I get to go to several parties and catch up with folks I only see once a year. I feel popular because my mailbox fills up with greeting cards and the house feels all festive decked out in Christmas colors. But at the end of it all, it’s really nice when everything gets back to normal and I have time to walk in the park with my pups. See how happy they look all tuckered out after their outing!!

Edited because I posted the wrong picture of Nick

Photo Tag - I'm It!!

I was tagged by Hiking Hounds to post the 6th picture in my 6th photo folder, explain it, and tag six other bloggers to do the same - so here goes. This is a picture of Rosie sitting in what she likes to think is "her" chair.

I tag the following:

Hope and Greyz
Confessions of a Trophy Wife
Halfway Home Hounds
In Patti's Place
Whirred Up
Hillbilly Heaven

Tagged!! The Saga of the Everlasting Doughnut

First I have to explain the background to this tale. There is, or was, a box of doughnuts that has been passed around among the members of Georgia Team Pharaoh for more than a year now. It started when someone tucked what was left of the morning’s munchies in Brianna’s car after some event. Her passion for doughnuts is well known!!. Apparently, they stayed in her car for quite a while, and still looked ready to eat. They were so hard, you’d break a tooth on them, but there was not one speck of mold to be found. They were perfectly preserved. Kind of a scary thought if you’d actually eaten any of the original doughnuts. What did they put in them to preserve them for so long?

That box of stale doughnuts became sort of a boobie prize to be secretly or creatively pawned off on an unsuspecting victim – sort of like a hot potato. They even made an appearance at the Pharaoh Hound Nationals back in October and were presented to Brianna as an award for being the Raw Food Educator of the Year. I’m sure I don’t have the back story exactly right. I know my Pharaoh phriends sometimes read this blog so please feel free to comment and set the story straight.

Anyway, I guess I need to explain why I'm telling this pastry adventure story here. I got to the coursing field Saturday ready to set up camp and was presented with a very nicely wrapped present from my friend Bekki. I should have suspected something when she made me open the package then and there. I’m sure you can guess what it contained. Yep, the original donuts have now finally gone to the great dustbin in the sky, but have been lovingly and creatively replaced with the toy pictured here.

Now I’ve got the doughnut and I’m already plotting it’s next adventure. You guys watch your backs!!

Christmas Wish Fulfilled....

Or, be careful what you wish for….

I haven’t posted in awhile as the holiday rush washed over me like a tsunami. As a result, I have lots to report, but will start with Christmas Day and its aftermath.

As a kid, I always wanted to sleep by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. For obvious reasons, my parents never allowed me to do so. Gee, I wonder why? Even as an adult, I really like to turn all the lights off in the house, plug in the tree, lay on the floor, and just watch the tree. It’s as good as a campfire, and better than TV. Why you ask, am I giving you all of this unsolicited information? Wait a minute, you’ll see.

On Christmas Day, the whole crew, by that I mean my mother, my sister, her husband, and her four kids, all came to my house for dinner. No big deal there, I cooked some, my sister cooked some, and my mom made her famous cheesecake. Just as an aside, her cheesecake is to die for. I had ten hungry people in my house on Christmas looking for food, drink, and Christmas cheer. The kids were also looking for presents! Just before my sister’s crew arrived, I opened the fridge door and the butter dish fell out and hit me on the foot. After muttering some expletives not in keeping with the spirit of the day, I looked around for the stick of butter that should have been on the dish. No stick of butter was to be found, so I assumed that someone had put the empty dish back in the fridge so they didn’t have to wash it. If you have kids in your house, you can understand how that might happen.

After everyone arrived, Rosie managed to find the butter that had escaped the refrigerator. Unfortunately, I only realized her discovery as it slid down her throat. I briefly considered pouring hydrogen peroxide down her gullet to bring the butter back up, but decided that such a cure was probably worse than the problem, especially since we had a house full of folks who wouldn’t appreciate my dog running around the house foaming at the mouth. I figured I was in for a long night as the butter worked its way through her system.

Yes, she had diarrhea, pretty much all night just as I expected. The fun part however, occurred at about three in the morning, After just coming back inside following about the sixth or seventh trip out to the potty, she jumped up on my bed and puked – all over my pillow and about every other sheet and blanket on the bed. Then she jumped down and continued the barf-a-rama in various locations around the bedroom. My poor girl was about a sick as I’ve ever seen her. The good news was it seemed that other than a couple more trips outside, the butter was pretty much out of her system. The bad news was that even if I could have managed to get the carpet cleaned in the middle of the night, the bed was gross, right down to the mattress.

Rob and I looked at each other, laughed pretty hard (it was either that or cry) and went downstairs and slept in the family room on an air mattress right next to the Christmas tree. Be careful what you wish for; your wish might just come true!!

P.S. I’m doing my part to stimulate the economy by purchasing new pillows for my bed. The sheets wash, down pillows, not so much.

Wishing You A....

Merry Christmas!!

It really is A Wonderful Life!!!

May you and your family have a
safe and happy holiday...

Weekend in Review

First of all, I learned that one of my loved ones has an addiction. It’s serious and I think he needs real help. I’ve never dealt with substance abuse before and had hoped I’d never have to go down this path.

Now some of this problem is my fault. I brought the offending substance into the house and I encouraged some moderate use. What I didn’t know was that the problem would get so out of hand.

Nick is really and truly addicted to marshmallows and I think Wheeler is his enabler. You see, Wheeler likes munching on mushies too, and has been making regular trips to the pantry to sneak a sweet treat. Apparently, he’s also been sharing with Nick. For the record, Rosie still thinks they’re disgusting and is holding out for liver treats. She takes the mushie in her mouth, I guess because Nick seems so excited about them, but she spits it out every time.

The irritating part about it is that now, every time anyone opens the panty door, Nick rushes over and starts bouncing around. Not exactly behavior I want to encourage. Wheeler on the other hand is unrepentant and continues to share.

In other news, we finally got our Christmas tree decorated. I know, I know, we’re very late on the draw this year. We’ll leave it up though until the 12^th day of Christmas though. I must admit, now that it’s done, I’m glad. This is Nick’s first Christmas, and I can see the wheels turning. He’s filed this one under “people really are crazy.” He’s wants to know why, if we go to the trouble to bring a big bush in the house, he can’t use it as a potty, especially since it’s so cold outside. Rosie, on the other hand, is probably encouraging him to water the tree figuring that any misbehavior on his part will make her look more like an angel.

Procrastination - Wordle

I have tons to do – it’s that time of year when I have to make a list and check it twice just to be sure I remember to do everything I’ve promised. Tonight, I’m supposed to be wrapping presents. So what am I doing? I’m creating a wordle and posting it here. Kinda crazy, huh?

You can procrastinate and make your own at www.wordle.net. Try it if you haven't already, its fun!

Edited because I posted the wrong image.

It was a Mommy Kind of Weekend

I spent this weekend doing mom stuff. Wheeler had a wrestling tournament that lasted all day Saturday. His school was hosting so, of course, we had volunteer duties. I agreed to a three hour shift at the door. We charge a small admission, just enough to cover the costs of putting on the tournament. What amazed me were the excuses I heard from people trying to get out of paying to get in. “I just want to come watch my kid wrestle. Do I have to Pay?” Well duh, I don’t think there are tons of attendees that aren’t here to watch someone. “I only have a $100 bill, can you break it?” Lady, this is a high school wrestling meet, no, I don’t have ton of change. I started the day with $50 in ones. Eventually, I’ll have change, but not first thing in the morning. Now bear in mind that most of the people complaining were carrying cups of coffee that cost more than our paltry admission fee. They didn’t seem to have a problem with paying for that.

Door duty also makes you the complaint department. One lady harangued me because the sign pointing the way to the tournament was not big enough. There was a sign on the door that said “Wrestling” as well a much larger sign indicating the gym building. Call me crazy, but even if I missed the small sign on the door, I’d probably look in the gym before say, one of the classroom buildings. The school’s not that big anyway. Even without any signs, close your eyes and listen for the sounds of ref whistles.

Truly, those whiners were the minority. I really love door duty because I get to meet and talk to lots of folks.

All in all, it was a good day. Wheeler wrestled well and no one got hurt. Sorry, no pics though. He made me promise not to post one as he says he looks like a dork in a singlet. News flash Wheels, so does everybody else - but they are better than the Speedos the swimmers have to wear.

Comfort Food

Everyone has different favorite foods remembered from childhood. You know, that consumable that always makes everything, no matter how upsetting, seem better. For me, I remember afternoons with my grandmother who believed, and rightly so, that what she called a Black Cow could fix just about anything from hurt feelings to a skinned knee. They’re simple and easy to make with very few ingredients, and very, very tasty. It takes only about 2 minutes to pour a Coke over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, stir in a tad of vanilla extract, and top with a cherry…mmmm!!!

Not everyone has the same childhood associations and some may not even like my grandmother’s Black Cow whether they’re in a funk or not. In fact, my fizzy favorite may sound downright disgusting to you. The funny thing is, apparently my two canine pals, both adopted as adults, have a difference of opinion when it comes to one of Nick’s favorites. Reading Patti’s blog reminded that greyhounds are often given marshmallows by their trainers at the track as treats. They’re cheap and the dogs find them to be yummy – well usually. I used to buy them for Speedy and Sugar, but have fallen out of the habit in recent years. The other day, I walked past a shelf full of marshmallows in the grocery store and tossed a bag in my basket, thinking that the pups would love them.

When I got home, I pulled out the bag of white, fluffy goodness expecting both dogs to love them. Nick recognized the bag before I even got it opened and began bouncing around excitedly as soon as he saw it. Now Rosie is no dummy; even though she's not a greyhound and had most likely never seen a marshmallow, she could tell Nick was expecting something tasty, so she also began a happy dance. Nick happily gobbled up his prize. Rosie also seem thrilled to get the marshmallow. I wish I had a video of what came next. Rosie got a horrified look on her face and promptly spat the offending white, fluffy morsel out. She nosed at it for a minute or two, obviously trying to figure out what Nick found so wonderful about marshmallows, then walked away. Nick was happy to take care of her leftovers.

I guess marshmallows are an acquired taste…..

Who Stands Outside for Two Days in Cold, Rainy Weather?

Apparently , I do! The Metropolitan Atlanta Whippet Association hosted an ASFA field trial Friday , Saturday, and Sunday. What better way is there to fill out the Thanksgiving holiday? Actually, we only coursed Saturday and Sunday, but the trial went for all three days. My pharaoh phriends are always prepared for all sorts of weather, so we didn’t suffer much from the cold rainy weather. Bekki scored a great deal on a tent at the black Friday sales, so we were dry and warm inside with heaters going. Sandy outdid herself with hot soup and BBQ for lunch and Brianna brought tempting sweets. Despite the weather, it was impossible to be unhappy as we were warm and well fed :-)!

Despite my reservations, I let Nick run on Saturday. I was scared as it was wet and the course at Calhoun is hilly. I’m used to coursing Rosie. Pharaohs are lighter and not as fast as Greyhounds and aren’t as likely to get hurt if they fall. In fact, Rosie has tumbled more than once and never been the worse for it. Nick though, moves faster, weights more, and isn’t as experienced. Obviously, I’m a Nervous Nelly. In the end, I let him run and he did very well. He was the only open Greyhound, but he outscored both field champion greyhounds that ran. He tumbled down the hill on his first run (my worst fear realized) and skidded in on his shoulder when he “came in for his landing.” After I got my heart out of my throat, I checked him over – he was fine. He ran well in finals in the afternoon, and managed to keep all four feet under him. I didn’t wrap his legs at all for that run, but did in the morning, so I don’t know if that make a difference. He didn’t run as well in the best of breed run off though, so he only came away with 4 points for winning open. I think is was probably sore from his fall when he ran for best of breed, and I can’t blame him. He woke up Sunday morning pretty stiff, so he stayed home, much to his dismay. He was fine by the time I got home, and didn’t let me out of his sight the entire night. I think he was afraid I’d sneak off with Rosie again and leave him home.

Rosie, the trooper that she is, ran well both days and took best of breed Sunday. All the Pharaohs ran well, including Femi, who at age eight, has decided she wants to try her paw at coursing. Apparently, she was never much interested when she tried as a youngster. She won open on Saturday, but lost by a hair to Reign for best of breed. We teased that she just didn’t want to over obligate herself in her younger days as she’s had great success in agility and in conformation. Trey won field champion Sunday, so really the Pharaohs passed the honors around with everyone having a chance to run off for best of breed.

All, in all, it was a great weekend. It was fun for human and hound – despite the weather!!

Random Act of Kindness!!

I got an early Christmas present today! OK, not really, but it sort of felt like it.

As you may or may not know, Wheeler is into wrestling. It’s the perfect sport for him since he’s very agile and slightly built. Practice started a while ago, and their first meet is this Saturday. He had practice this morning and came out afterwards to tell me that his wrestling shoes are way too small and he needs some more before Saturday. Now all this is fine, except that I like to order those sorts of things since they’re generally lots cheaper online. Of course, being a 14 year old boy, he hadn’t told me that his shoes didn't fit, which I would have realized if I thought about it at all, and that he couldn’t find his knee pads. Off we go to the local big box sporting goods store to load up on expensive shoes and knee pads so we’ll have them before the meet on Saturday. Grrr!! Now I know this last minute dash is partially my fault – I didn’t ask – but you’d think that since he’s been practicing for a month he would have thought to tell me that he’s been wearing tennis shoes because he can’t shoe horn his foot into last year’s shoes.

After finding a pair of shoes that fit, some knee pads, and a mouth guard, we got in line to pay. While we were standing there, we were approached by a complete stranger who gave us a 20% off coupon!! Said he hadn’t found what he wanted and it looked like we had lots of stuff. Wow!! Now, the coupon was about to expire, so it wasn’t really any skin off his nose, but he really didn’t have to do that. Sometimes I get the most pleasure from the unexpected.

It Was A Beautiful Fall Day....

Actually, we had two beautiful fall days in early November for the CHASE Veteran’s Day field trial at Old Mill Farm in Cartersville. I’m finally getting around to posting about the weekend. The field was neither too hard nor too muddy, and the air was crisp, but not cold. As an extra bonus, the leaves were about at the peak of their fall color, making for really nice pictures. Both Rosie and Nick ran well. Nick especially so on Saturday when he placed second out of four greyhounds. Not bad for his first weekend out. Lee Gearhart of Uma Rapiti Photography was there taking pictures and got some good ones of both Nick and Rosie. Here’s Nick running with the greytblackdog on Saturday.

And here's another of him running alone.

Saturday also went well for Rosie. Four Pharaoh Hounds were there and Rosie placed third. I can’t complain about that one bit. Her buddy Reign, who placed second Saturday and first on Sunday, earned his ASFA Field Championship that weekend. I love watching her run; she alway has such a ball!!

On Sunday, Nick didn’t run as well. I think he was still tired from Saturday, but he’s still new at lure coursing and two days in a row of vigorous running is tough. Rosie clearly wasn’t tired on Sunday, (she’s like the Eveready bunny), and managed a second place finish.

The best part, and really the most important part, of lure coursing is the fun and satisfaction the hounds get from it. Also, they snooze so peacefully after a weekend of running.

Six More Things....

Addie tagged me with a new Meme. The idea is to think of the six things you would change if money was no object. This one has really made me put on my thinking cap. The first things that came to mind were things I would buy, and don’t get me wrong, we could definitely use lot of things that plenty of money could buy. Next, I started thinking about what I could do to make me feel good inside. So here goes.

1. I’d set up a college fund for my nieces and nephew and so they could go to any school in the world without worrying about money. I’d also beef up Wheeler’s. Though we’ve been stashing cash for his school since he was born, tuition has gone up faster than inflation and even with the money we’ve saved he’ll have to consider cost and scholarship money (keep those grades up kid) when the time comes.

2. I’d set up a charitable trust with trustees to administer it to which I could refer folks with hard luck stories. You know, the ones that you hear about on the evening news – firefighter dad killed in the line of duty leaving wife and baby with life threatening disease. When I hear those stories, I always wish I could help. With a trust in place, if the story checked out, I could. The trust would have significant funds dedicated to animal rescue too.

3. My first thought on the home front was to move. Get rid of my 60’s ranch style house and move up in the world. But I basically like my house, and with just the three of us we don’t need any more room. I’d do all the fixing up we’ve put off (like get rid of the 60’s paneling in the basement) and call a real landscape company to fix the yard so it works for human’s and dogs.

4. I’d look for a piece of land with acreage where I could build a house to move to after Wheeler graduates from high school. Then, the location wouldn’t matter to us and I could have all the dogs I want – and maybe even a horse.

5. I’d hire a full time cook and maid. It’s no secret that I hate house work. Trust me, one visit to my house and you know that I’m not a neat freak. I’m also not the best cook. Oh I kind of like making special meals and trying new dishes. In fact, before I had a family to cook for every day, I would have said I enjoyed cooking. But coming up with dinner ever night is wearing especially hearing “Oh mom, are we having chicken again?”

6. Last, but certainly not least, I’d plan, and execute, lots of trips. I defiantly suffer from wander lust and there’s pretty much nowhere in the world (absent places where bullets fly regularly) that I don’t want to visit.

So there you go. Now you know my self-serving desires should some long lost and currently unknown relative pass on and leave me untold millions. And now to pass this game along, I tag Heather, Patti, and Denise. What six things would you change if money was no object?

Queen Bee

You know how in every group, there’s one person who wants to tell everybody how to act, what to do, and when to do it. At work, its’ the person who is constantly trying to organize pot luck lunches. You know the kind where everybody brings something, plus you have to chip in for a ham or something to share. Then she (or he) wants you to say ahead of time exactly what you are bringing. Often the green bean casserole (or whatever you offered) isn’t good enough. “Can’t you just whip up a simple crabmeat soufflé?” This person then goes over the top decorating for the lunch and gets upset is everyone doesn’t want to participate. As an aside comment, I have nothing against pot luck meals. In fact, I enjoy them – it’s just when they become overly organized and turn into a party planned in detail by one self appointed office “queen bee,” and then executed through coercion by the worker bees that I object. In reality though, we need those “queen bee” types. As much as we complain about their methods, we all kind of like the lunches.

There’s no doubt who the “queen bee” of dogdom is at our house. In truth, I think Rosie is in charge because Nick could care less one way or the other about most of the day to day doings at our house. He figures as long as he as two square meals a day, a good walk (unless the weather is really nasty,) and a soft place to sleep, he’s good. Rosie on the other hand, wants to be sure that everyone knows that she rules the roost. Which dog is always first thru the door? Who always claims the prized dozing spot? You guessed it. Rosie. Now I’m not sure what makes one dog bed preferable to another but in Rosie’s mind, she gets first pick.

Nick, on the other hand, is Mr. Easygoing. I don’t think he cares one bit whether he sleeps on the dog bed on the left or the dog bed on the right. While Rosie is strutting around at feeding time hoping to move up her dinner by a minute or two, Nick is quietly waiting for the bowls to come out. In his mind, does it really matter who goes through the door first? So in reality, I think Rosie is the “Queen Bee” at our house, but I think she earned her title by default.

Science Project...

My life of late has been consumed by Wheeler’s science project. Why, you ask, is my 9^th grader’s science project consuming my life? Because it’s a group project and he can’t drive himself to his friends house or on the multiple trips to the hardware store necessary to acquire the parts to build the small steam engine he’s trying to construct. Also, even if they work at my house, I’m reluctant to leave two or three teenage boys alone in my house building said steam engine. The explosive potential is real, and I don’t know if my homeowners insurance covers damage caused by the explosion of a home built steam engine boiler. Since 14 year old boys don’t always use common sense, I feel the need to stay relatively close by to monitor progress.

Did I mention that I hate group projects! Teachers think that they are a wonderful way to teach kids the skills that they will someday need in the workplace. Obviously they have never tried to find enough time for three boys, who all have other school work, sports, family commitments etc to get together at night and on the weekend for long enough to plan and construct the project du jour. Realistically, they aren’t going to build a steam engine, or anything like it, in one afternoon, so it really is a scheduling nightmare and ends up being a pain in mom's rump. Not to mention that I’ve had various sizes of duct taped up cans with copper tubing sticking out scattered around my kitchen for weeks.

Hopefully, one of the prototypes built over the week-end will work. Wheeler plans a test run tonight as he thinks the silicone caulk that’s supposed to hold the thing together will be dry enough by then. Here’s hoping it works – and my house doesn’t blow up.!!