Day 332 - dogs no heart vacuum cleaner

Me at Oktoberfest in McKinney.  One of the best pictures of me I've ever seen.  The white tee shirt covers up the rear and The Gut is on the backside.  Note that I wasn't supposed to be in the picture at all--the subject was the monster truck with skull accents.

So we did Oktoberfest in the rain and didn't even take a German Shepherd dog although a year from now, I'm hoping that will be possible.  If they allow it.  I think Daschunds are more their style.

I'm working industriously on my dining room and got half of the carpet cleaned today.  It's too bad that the manufacturers of carpet steamers for home use don't seem to understand the degree of dingy that a home carpet can accumulate.  Especially with dogs.

[9/29 jogging: top of hill + one telephone pole]
[9/30 jogging: top of hill]

Day 329 - jogging not

Good grief!  I tried to jog with Izzy today.  She was okay for maybe the first quarter of the trip, then for the rest I was having to jog baby steps and encourage her along.
   
Here's a Texas-sized scorpion.

And here it is in perspective.   The orange thing is a flyswatter.

[9/27 jogging: the turn barely]

Day 328 - struggling with routine

There's nothing to say that hasn't been said before.  Darn!  I really need to get a life.  We may get a break from the heat this weekend, which sucks because then I have to work outside.

Contemplate the rosemary.  I planted it this spring and I kind of expected it to do something.  Grow, or die.  But it lingers on like Nazgul...neither living nor dead.





I'm going to get some dog treats and exercise Izzy's curiousity.

Day 327 - waggy dog

Finally!  With a generous topping of KFC brown gravy--probably the least healthy thing I could have used--she's eating her supper.  In the dining room.  With me sitting at the computer.

Nowadays she gets really excited out our walks.  Excited to see me, too, but especially bouncy when I finally go into the utility room and say it's time.  Wish I'd started the habit of saying Walk as in, Let's go for a walk, like I used to with Frosha.  It's so much fun to say, "Let's go for a walk," and see tails go mega-wag.

Looking up.                                                         Looking at me!

[9/25 jogging: the turn]

Day 325 - by the way, dog's doing great

My Uncle died today which makes the count of remaining relatives on my mother's side equal to one.  Of course there are some third and fourth cousins (whatever that means) but I never really knew any of them.  I wonder whatever happened to Barbara and Pat, my Aunt Anna Lee's daughters?

There's nothing interesting to post--the weather turned hotter than heck and dry as dust.  I watered a couple of trees today; that was it.  I saw my third tarantula of the year this week, which is only the fifth of my life if you don't count the captive one.  But I didn't take a picture--he was squished.

So here's a picture from a couple of years ago.  Dog in house...under house...uh...

Day 322 - cats take over the blog

Cats just got to sit on things.

Day 321 - dogs just missed it

I forgot to post the picture of Spinach Feta Quiche so here it is.

Yes, I admit I was lacking artistic flair when I arranged the tomatoes, and my pie crust edging talent is never going to emerge.  But to me, it still looks tasty.

Wish it tasted good.

The dogs would like it, but...while it's not good enough to drool over, it's not quite bad enough to dump on them.

Day 320 - dumb skinny dog

Re the dog weight gain project--I snuck some protein powder on her food and I'm hoping to get her used to it.  Then after supper I teased her out of her cage with string cheese (mozarella).  But tonight we're back at an impasse.  The food is sitting in front of her cage door, she's hunkered down inside, and the hour is rapidly approaching eight p.m.  How to break the stalemate?

The protein powder was also a major ingredient in my "protein pumpkin bars."  They have no added fat other than the walnuts I threw on top.  And guess what that means--

They're dry and have a dusty aftertaste.

Day 319 - leftovers for dinner==no cooking!

Yesterday's cooking was just about the kind of experience you'd expect on a day when your son walks out the door without telling you he's going.  He went where he was supposed to go and came back right on time, but it's still a little unsettling.  Am I such a scary old nag that I can't even be trusted with the tiniest of information?  Of course, since he did exactly what I'd told him to do, why did I think I needed an announcement?


Then I:
- Had to wash and pick over twice as much spinach as I needed.
- Exploded a sweet potato in the microwave.
- Used up all the eggs and had to fix two cans of salmon with only one egg and a splash of egg whites.
- Spilled at least 1/2 c of the spinach feta quiche on the floor.  Zack cleaned most of it up.
- Opened a can of mushrooms by accident -- it was between two cans of salmon so naturally, I thought it was salmon.
- And to top it all, slit open my left index finger on a can lid.

At least Cookus Interruptus would be happy with my endeavors.  Everything was a whole food.  Except possibly the mustard--I know there is a plant called mustard and it has yellow flowers, but of a bottle of prepared mustard bears no conceivable resemblance to its origins.  It might as well be a test tube of chemicals stirred into a semi-solid slurry.

September 16

 I miss you.

Day 317 - broken record/dog breakfast

Silly dog refused to eat breakfast today.  I caught Zack eating it and yelled at him and then it was all over.  I gave her a bone later.

I'm going to start sneaking some protein powder in her food.  And I'm definitely cooking a bunch of those little baggies of leftover bones Ed keeps in the freezer.  Anything labeled dog meat is going straight in her dish.  Anything raw is getting microwaved, and then going straight in her dish.  That dog is going to eat!

She's eating now, and in fact, she just picked up her dish to try to pry the last stuck-in kibble.  I'll give her a biscuit....

Day 316 - dogs live in the present...not me

Sunday is my mother's birthday.  I should have planned to cook something she used to make--white beans, cornbread and fried potatoes.  Instead I'm making minestrone but I think she'd heartily approve of that.  But not the salmon patties--she used to hate to cook them.

So I'll be thinking of her all the same.  I always am.

(When I'm not thinking about Dad)

Re dogs, okay!  It cooled down.  But I got home so late today, they didn't get much of a walk.  Tomorrow is Saturday and I can make up for it with a nice rib bone.

Day 314 - dog improvement

I mentioned awhile back the cat-spatting episode.  Izzy came to see me at my computer, and the blasted cat in my lap spit and slapped at her, claws at the ready.  But the connection I didn't make is, that's probably why she just won't come see me at the computer anymore.  Even when temped with mozzarella cheese.
Seems she can learn bad habits faster than I can instill good ones.

This weekend's dog improvement project is claws (again) and brushes.  I need to get them in good enough shape to make a vet trip.  And this week's home improvement project is hauling the donations to charity and the recyclable electronics to Best Buy.  Unless by some miracle of Mother Nature it cools down enough to let me work outside.  It's supposed to cool down a little.

Darn.  I promised the dogs that as soon as the daytime highs were under 80, I'd extend their walk to the red fence.  It might just happen.

Day 313 - hurts

9/11 Will it ever end?

Day 312 Guard dogs, hah.

Yesterday was a cooking day--I should say, death by cooking day.  I started at 5-ish and ended up at 7-ish, but didn't finish the dishes until unholy hours.

I made this minor masterpiece:








Enchiladas verdes, beef fajitas, Spanish rice, queso, guacamole and fresh fruit salad.








Never count on a dog for protection.  Or even a pack of dogs.  Today we had to go for our walk after dusk, when the road was barely visible under our feet.  And I saw a snake.

None of the dogs saw it or smelled it.  To say in their defense, it wasn't moving.  It was waiting at the side of the road, head up and testing the air.  I think it was a garter snake--two bright stripes on either side of a lighter green stripe.  But still!  If it had been a rabbit, they all three would have warned me about it!

Day 310 - good dog; bad girl

Izzy's eating supper!  Hurray!  The day's not a total crapper.

I had every intention of resuming my home improvement project this morning, but after sleeping late and attending to the various necessities that demanded my time, and cooking a pie for my husband's anniversary--

It was time to head to the movies and shopping.  Then my daughter got mad because I wouldn't buy a $55 out-of-print manga and I had a minor meltdown because she kept saying I was yelling in the store (I wasn't)...we drove home in silence and she stormed into her room and will never speak to me again.

Day 309 sunset and sad reflections

The sun went down as I walked the dogs today.  I was reminded of the Linkin Park song.

And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
And the sun will set for you

Not anytime soon, I hope.  I have dogs to take care of.  And my fridge holds the ingredients for enchiladas verdes and a fresh fruit salad.

Did I mention a cool front coming through tonight?  Today it was 103--tomorrow it's supposed to be--wait for it--only 87.

Day 308 hotdog

Just a boring dog day today.  Expected high tomorrow is 106.  Then we have a cool front--ha.  Since when was a high of 87 considered a cool front?

My little girl.  Hairless and happy.

Day 307 - vacuum cleaner dog

On our walk today, I saw Izzy do just about the strangest thing I've ever seen a dog do.  Even if I include the time that Werewolf nabbed a possum on the side of the road and wouldn't let go of it.  She picked up a discarded Dr. Pepper can in the street and carried it along in her mouth.

I knew she liked to play with things--the branches and frisbees and old balls in the back yard move around on a regular basis.  But a Dr. Pepper can?  Was it because it smelled sweet?

I guess the weirdest thing I've ever seen was when my black cat was still a kitten--he got out in the back yard and Werewolf picked him up in his mouth and brought him toward the house.  Gently as a mommy cat.  Good dog!

Day 306 - too hot for much of anything

Staking out the hummingbird feeder.









Izzy dog got to help me put out water for the trees, birds and critters today.  My water bucket in the front yard was nearly empty--I hope that doesn't mean stray cows have been wandering through the yard again.




Highs of 100+ the rest of the week, or so they say.  Poor dogs.

Day 304 - dogs survived my 36-hour trip

I got back alive, I think.  Due to parking issues at the festival I didn't try to come back at suppertime.  I did end up coming back but it was during the day--I had to fetch Cinderella's ball gown.






Blast it all--the only halfway decent picture I got and she doesn't have her pink boa.




The dogs survived but they were out of water when I returned.  I know they had water yesterday, so it was just a temporary outage.  Thank Dog.