Playing catch-up

Wow.... Lets see.... ummmm.

My last post was the 20th..... so since that time....

I had a birthday... YAY ME!!! I hit 45!!! It was pretty uneventful day.......I worked.

Steve got me (at my request) one of those heated water, foot massagers. Not some off the shelf version from Mal-Wart either. This one is deluxe and will fit my size 13's!! His folks got me a wireless keyboard for my new miniature laptop. They also got me a new thumb drive. Now this makes like 4 flash drives in my possession... are they trying to tell me something??? LOL!!! Like I have a "flash" memory and need to storing my life!! I had started working the Census the day before, so physically I felt like I had been picked up by a cave troll and slammed against the ground a few times. This job requires A LOT of walking..... UP hill and DOWN hill... over and over. This is a good thing. My attempt at looking like a Census Nerd..... and NO, I'm not secretly flipping anyone off in this picture.

My first AA (Assignment Area was 473 housing units. Usually and AA is broken down into smaller blocks so it can be completed in sections and the info gathered can be saved. Not mine... it was all one block. Took me two and a half days to finish. I ran into some really nice people and believe it or not they were from right here in HF.... AMAZING!!!! My most recent AA's have been across the river on the mountain. Let's just say.... I appreciate HF more and more these days. Paved roads.... a LEASH law.... homes WITHOUT gun turrets. It's those little things that make civilization so much more pleasing. I swear I thought I had been sent in as some sort of modern day Blade Runner. Will I be able to log everyone or will the replicants spot me and force me to live in a trailer? How long will it take for me to realize I'm really one of them and refuse to leave. SCARY!!!!

Pups.... hmmmm.... Chico (Beaner) and the two boys Iggy and Coop all went to new foster homes. I still have Babs and her four pups. Babs has really come around from her first few days here. She lets me in the house now without tossing her half a bag of treats first. I don't have to wrap my arm with my coat to approach her anymore either.

Poor girlie was so scared when she came here. Now at least she's playing with Roux and enjoys her outside time with the other big dogs. Her pups are getting fatter and fatter. They're all going to the vet today for a check-up. Babs needs checked for heart worms and such. The pups have the sniffles.

The BIG NEWS!!!!! Well, a couple things. We're closing on the 11th for a refi on the house. This will make things a lot nicer as far as the mortgage goes. Plus, I'm still not quite sure why he did it, but Steve insisted this time I be put on the deed. It might have something to do with some recent conversations we've had concerning those people who think it's ok to hold property ownership or rather, "lack of", over a partners head or flaunt it as some sort of ultimatum when it comes to household duties. Steve has NEVER done this nor would he ever do something so immature and hurtful. It may also have something to do with the recent changes made to the marriage laws in nearby states...... like WV would EVER ok gay marriage... LOL!!! For whatever reason, we will officially on paper, jointly own our home on the 11th of May. It's been 10 years now since we first met. I guess combining our names on a property deed is a safe bet now... LOL!!

The second, and not as exciting, thing that's happened is actually still happening. For all the years we've lived in this home.... the entire Bush administration...... the Wisteria that clings to and tries to cover our front porch, has NEVER bloomed. I prune it correctly, I fertilize it, I've even threatened it with a chainsaw..... no Blooms. Bush gets run out of town, Obama takes control of the country and BAMMM.... Wisteria Blossoms!!!!! I've taken a few pics of it during it's growth process and when it's in full bloom.... I'll post them all.

So there you have most of what's been going on in our part of the world. Steve traveled to the future and is currently attending and speaking at a conference in Kota Bahru, Malaysia. 22 hrs total flight time to get there..... puts him in a country that's exactly 12 hours ahead of us here on the US east coast. That means that all the food he's eating is from the future.... How Cool!!!! He'll be back on the 7th of May. Keep him in your thoughts, so that he'll be safe and not eat or drink anything that will make him sick. Hopefully this whole swine flu thing won't blow up and create an even more unsafe environment for him. See you in a few days!!!

The King's in the Ferry

Below is a picture of King Abdullah II of Jordan from the washington post

Don't mess with WV. Apparently we're a little higher up there on that list of favorite travel destinations than most Americans think. According to Gossip Gals Amy and Roxanne from the Wash Post, King Abdullah II of Jordan visited here this past Sat. Of course the Harpers Ferry Middle School in the background of the photo gave it away too. The story tells how the King wanted to see where John Browns memory is still so alive, but that he mostly wanted to ride a Hog.

Now, on THAT subject, I wonder if the Harley Haters were out on Sat. See, we have this bunch of Geezing Busybodies in town that passed a "No Excessive Noise" ordinance. If they had just waited a few more years they would all be deaf anyhow, so why bother...... Why Bother, because they have some sort of childhood complex that made them socially retarded. My only wish is that the local Barneys had stopped the Kings entourage, or that maybe one of the locals had embarrassed themselves with a "Go Away" sign like they've done in the past. Actually, that's not my only wish. I wish that King Abdullah would relay to President Obama how wonderful his visit was and convince the first family to make their own trip to the Ferry. Now that would be a step up for our so often misunderstood state.

Oh Well, wishful thinking on a rainy day!!!

Ranting and Puppies

I'm not really sure how many years I've had a Facebook account, but I know it's been a while.

Up until the recent explosion of membership I rarely used it and thought it kind of annoying and troublesome. Now I KNOW it's annoying and troublesome.

On top of all the stupid requests to take a quiz to see who I look like or what color I like or what drink describes me and on and on and on.... I find I'm becoming even more so, one of those people that Truly annoy me. The kind that will tell you a story at least three times because they tell it to so many people they can't remember who knows and instead of asking if they've already killed some of your brain cells with their mundane news... they make you sit through it again and again and again. Facebook has made it even more difficult to remember who I told what to, so now I find myself part of that community who posts stupid things like daily chores or what I ate or what hateful thought might have escaped my rotting brain. Not because I think anyone cares, but because I can't shut the hell up. Just like FOX news constantly babbles shitty reporting, we've, and YES, I say WE'VE, become just like them.

So, this blahg of mine used to be my portal to news in my life. Now it's becoming outdated like last years IPOD or Beta max. I don't need to blog anymore because I can post worthless dribble on my Facebook. I can twitter my brain cells into shutdown.... or I could call it multwittering or some other stupid term that might describe someone socially incapable. I can send you a hug, but don't want to sit next to you in the same room. There's really something wrong with society.

Maybe that's part of my recently labeled "obsession" with puppies. I find those lost k-9 souls and bring them directly into my heart. They don't have e-mail. They don't twitter. They definitely don't care who my favorite actress is. What they do have is real. They communicate with their eyes and their licks and the way they greet you every time you come back into the room. They don't care that you were only gone for 30 seconds. They just want you to know they missed you and they've never been so glad to have you back!

Now, since I have no idea who knows this or who even cares to know this, I'll continue with the purpose for this post. Meet Newton. He's a little 4 month old Shelti/Chihuahua mix... we think!! His family were working just way too many hours to train a puppy the way they need training, and didn't want to crate him all day. My guess is they were a little tired of cleaning carpets as well. For whatever reason they decided to give him up, I promised them I would find him a great home and this sat he goes to adoption with all4theanimals rescue. He came to us with Guardian for a name, but the morning he flew through the trap door, down a 10 ft ladder to the brick basement floor we immediately renamed him Newton, since he had just discovered Gravity!! He's ok, but doesn't go near that hole any more.

He's such a tiny little buck. Just under 10 lbs he can climb ANYTHING. His bottom is like Tiggers because he bounces like he has springs in his butt. Still, when he does decide to take a nap it happens fast and usually on top of the nearest human.

Yesterday I brought home Chico. He was given to former family, so they were a little unsure of his breed(s). I'm guessing and this is after someone else suggested it, that he's a French Bullhuahua. That's a Chihuahua bred with a French Bulldog. Hmmm?!?!?! Chico's mom was having a hard time financially. Kids and work and school had taken their toll on her and she was left wondering how she was going to be able to buy dog food, so she made the hard decision to find her little buddy a new home. I visited with her to assess Chico's behavior and discovered, although he put up a pretty good front... he couldn't wait for me to play with him. Just over 4 yrs old, he's still young enough and still accepting enough that a new family can train him to fit right in, given the patience required for his breed. He's made the adjustment here just fine. He and Newton play continuously. He still likes to bark at the big dogs and even though he's only been here 24 hrs he doesn't like the other dogs near me. Poor little fella.... he just wants to know he's my favorite.

Last night I was unsure how I was going to get all the dogs to sleep. Dash n Roux have their own bed.... LOL.. in the fireplace. Newton stays leashed to the trunk, just to keep him out of trouble, and his bed is also right there. He prefers to be covered with my coat and he'll sleep all night... still no accidents. After a little pacing and a little whining..... Chico ended up under the covers with me. He laid there all night... a perfect little gentleman. No fidgeting, nothing but little snores.

I just love my doggies. Poor Steve, He's been so accepting of all this new commotion. Kicked out of his favorite spot on the couch and too often pulling hair out of his dinner... he sits silently... sometime too much so. This will be all the doggies for a little while. The next two pups won't be here until the 19th. Two little 6 week old Pit boys!!!!

This coming week I'll be with some of the county's finest training to do census work. I just can't wait to see how big this smoking circle will be. I think I'll wear a suit. Jeans or sweats would automatically suggest that I somehow had something in common with them. To tell the truth I most likely do, but given my ever growing dislike for humans, I'll just lay low and pretend to be the quiet one. Maybe by sitting quietly and staring intensely at the floor, I can scare them into thinking I'm some sort of psychopath, and they'll leave me in peace. I know, it won't happen. First I'll say HI to someone and the next thing you know I'll be organizing company picnics.... GRRRRRRR... Sometimes it sucks to be me. One of these days I'm gonna figure out how to turn off the drama/idiot magnet that has itself attached to my backside. Is there a sign on my forehead that says, "I'm here to listen to your emotional baggage"? I need a new Happy Place, because my old one isn't as impenetrable any longer.

Freedom!!

So this past Saturday I took Maggie and Freedom to the adoption event that's held every sat. at PETCO in Baileys Crossroads. Maggie had been back with us for a little RnR before her week ahead where she'll be spayed and then hopefully adopted by a family that's willing to drive 4 hrs to meet her. Freedom had come to us via a local WV surrender on Craigslist and had only been here stealing our hearts for less than a week. Traveling with me this week was my almost 5yr old grandson JR, who can make a 1hr+ road trip fun or hell depending on his mood. Well today, he was in a good mood!! Somewhere along the Greenway we spotted a couple fire trucks in an empty parking lot conducting training with full pressure fire hoses. JR of course asked me what they were doing since it was obvious to him there was no fire. I explained how they were teaching the firemen to hold and direct the fire hoses. I of course didn't go into an explanation of how much pressure there is coming out of that hose since the drive was only an hr and I knew that would never be enough time to answer all of THOSE questions. He seemed satisfied with my answer, so I told him how when he grew up, he too could become a fireman, when he quickly shot back while shaking his head with disbelief... "Gramps, I already KNOW how to use a water hose". I sat silent for several miles after that just watching him open and close and open and close his window. Something about the strange mechanisms of my Jeep that captures his attention. We got to the beltway and took our exit onto RT50 which takes us to RT 7 and to the PETCO. Once on RT50 however we always encounter stop and go traffic that apparently likes to sit through green lights. No cause to get upset or cast evil spells on the phone chatting imbeciles, because it makes no difference. So after being asked to open and close my OWN window several times, I informed JR that there was a nicer and quicker way to ask to have the window open or shut. All he had to do was say Loudly and Clearly... Vote Democrat, and I would respond with prompt window movement. This got to be funny after awhile, because when the window was open the nearby drivers could hear him say this. I'm pretty sure that most of them had actually voted democrat, but I still got a kick out of it, purely on the off chance that there was some puffed up piece of republican listening. So we played this game until we arrived at the Petco. Maggie went home with Amanda, another foster and Freedom got adopted by a really nice lady and her 2 yr old Rotti. On the way home I set JR up with my mp3 player mostly because I wasn't in the mood to answer a bunch of questions. Questions that never seem to stop. Once I figured out that he didn't want to listen to any song sung by a female, I set him up a playlist and shortly thereafter he was sound asleep. He woke up about 30 minutes later and we started playing the "Vote Democrat" game again, which was fine because we were almost home. Well not actually home, but to the gas station. That saturday was the last day to use my bonus card from Martins to get .40 off per gallon of gas. I met Cathy and Bobby there so we could fill their truck too since you're allowed up to 30gallons. Halfway thru filling my jeep, the moronic midget that works the station turned off my pump and accused me of backing in to fill my Jeep from the same pump Cathy had just filled from. If I could have climbed through his little freakin window, they would have had to carry him from there in a body bag. I demanded my receipt and headed to the Martins Store Office to have this little piece of republican fired. Instead what I got was a very apologetic manager and a refund in the amount of 12 dollars which is what I would have saved on 30gallons of gas. I thanked him but told him it wasn't the 12 bucks I was upset about. It was the embarrassing and accusatory way in which HIS employee dealt with the matter. When he shut my pump off..... he shut EVERYONE'S pump off which in turn canceled out any bonus card savings they may have been trying to use. He really needed reprimanded and I wanted to be assured that he would be, because the little freak can't go unnoticed in public. He should be working for the circus and I would see him outside of his little box one day and when there's no glass between the two of us.... I'm gonna see just how fast his short little legs can carry him. Dwarf Tossing is a favorite sport of mine!!! I actually didn't tell the store manager all that, but I was thinking it and much more. So I handed Cathy the 12 bucks told her to go ANYWHERE else to get gas and JR and I headed to the Jeep, so we could go get Mac n Cheese (his request for dinner) and head home. We got in the jeep, put on our seat belts..... JR slid his window open.... Looked at me and said, "Gramps, GodDamnit"!!! I couldn't even look at him at first, then slowly I turned and asked, "Didn't you mean, Gramps, Vote Democrat"? "Oh yeah", he replied, as if nothing was said incorrectly. We continued on our way, but now I had something to think about. My democratic game had caused me to BE democratic. Hmmm. We got our Mac n Cheese oh AND a Cheese Cake and were heading home when he asked probably for the 20th time... "Gramps, do you miss Freedom"? I told him, NO, because I was just keeping Freedom for someone else.. I just didn't know who that someone was. He seemed satisfied with that, but now I was thinking about the deeper Question that an almost 5yr old had asked. Yes, he was referring to a puppy that just happened to be named Freedom, but what of our lost freedom!! It was only 5 miles to home, but my poor addled brain worked overtime thinking about his unintended question. I came to the conclusion that Freedom or what we occasionally conceive as freedom is first off... never ours, and even when we think it might be, it's fleeting. Too often we confuse being burdened with a loss of freedom, but many times the reason we're being burdened was part of our right to choose, which is, after all.... Freedom. Kids and Puppies..... What more do we really need.

Freedom

Just an update about Freedom. He got adopted yesterday and FAST!! His new Mom came to the adoption event with her beautiful Rotti, Violet, just to make sure little Freedom liked her and vice versa. It was a match and almost as fast as he entered my life he was gone.

I have to admit, although we miss all the pups that find their way into our home, Freedom had a special charm that captured the heart of everyone he met. Have a great life little buddy!!

Here, Freedom and Roux are molesting Maggie out on the deck. The three of them Could and often did play for hours together giving Dash a well appreciated break from puppy teeth.

Puppy update.... Freedoms new parents are thinking of calling him Joey... how cute!!! Maggie gets spayed this Friday and I believe her potential new parents are coming to meet her the next day, Saturday, at the adoption event. They,ll be driving all the way from Blacksburg VA to see her. Keep your fingers crossed for her. Maggie deserves a great home after all she's been through.

So I'm free for the next two weeks. I don't pick up any more pups until the 19th. I've got training from the 13th to the 17th for census, so it's the perfect time for a break.