Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday Cat Blogging


Deep breaths.

I have to remind myself that potty training a human baby is a lengthy process and is rife with set backs. The fact that the thirteen week old puppy I have had for two weeks is not potty trained is not a sign I am a failure.

Fridog

I was going to give the puppy a bath tonight before he meets my parents for the first time, but instead we avoided the hard work took a long walk through downtown.  I have to admit that he smells  more than a little funky in an enclosed space but his adoring fans in downtown Raleigh didn't seem to mind.

Zig Ziglar made his fortune teaching nebishes how to win friends and influence people but if you don't feel like sitting through and endless seminar on how to be liked, I suggest walking a puppy through downtown.

I made lots of friends and I'm pretty sure I passed  a handful of  very pro-state employees bills though the legislature.   I also think Rocket needs to be getting a check from the weimaraner people for all the good works he's doing for the breed1 He is totally a one-puppy charm offensive! People all over Raleigh are now thinking about weims, talking about weims and looking them up online!  He could be their be ambassadog. If they have  an ambassadog, maybe they have a poster dog! he could become the breed poster dog! I need to make some phone calls!

While I'm on hold, I want to announce that Rocket was dry when I came home today! At least I think he was dry, his crate floor was dry but one of his animals was suspiciously damp and stinky... I don't know if it soaked up whatever urine, or he was just chewing on it aggressively, and it is the toy he brought with him from Puppy Paradise -  So I don't know if it stinks because he uses it has a primitive squeegee or it stinks because its soaked in puppy musk for so long. I really want to think he's not smart enough to use it as a squeegee, because that kind of scares me

Thursday, September 27, 2012

School Day

Today was another tutorial day so instead of writing an entry I was rewarding my dog for being food driven. The trainer thinks Rocket is awesome and he and I have both worked very hard and done well in the week since our last lesson. Yay us!

I posted these on Facebook but I'll put them here too.



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

One is silver and the other gold


I was just about to start this when this puppy came up and was showing off his ears and wrapping them around my fingers and nuzzling me and then he rolled for for a tummy rub and quite frankly, it got out of hand! I had no choice but to pet those ears and then one thing led to another and there were toys involved and somehow he  ended up on my lap. Have you ever tried to get something accomplished  with a puppy on your lap? Try typing, its just not possible. You can sleep or maybe read a book or watch TV, but pretty much, you are limited to puppy cuddling. Life is hard.

I decided that while it would be hard, it was time for him to go pee. I gather him up, collect his High Value Successful Potty Only treats, the  guaranteed "pee here, pee now" spray and we went to the yard. He didn't want to go pee. He also didn't want to play fetch with the brand new tennis balls I bought him half off at TJ Maxx either.  It turns out he is most comfortable sort of playing fetch with used tennis balls, sadly for him I have very few of those around because Daisy didn't take prisoners .

We came back inside and since  he did not potty, he went to his crate and I  put some laundry in the machine. Puppies cause a lot of laundry! On the upside, when I came upstairs I spied a used tennis ball  hiding under the couch! Yay! so maybe there is hope for fetch.

I can't really get my mind around his lack of interest in fetching, he's a damn retriever! I shouldn't have to teach him to play fetch, I should have to teach him to not fetch!  Maybe I should go all craft-wars on him and bedazzle a ball with chicken feathers in hope of waking up whatever prey drive remains in his DNA after generations of his ancestors pranced in show rings. He must have something inside him that wants to chase things other than blue ribbons and silver cups!

Is it possible that it could all have been bred out and replaced with a desire to prance in public - Instead of an inner hunter, could my dog actually posses instead an inner Honey Boo Boo? true, as much as playing fetch is fun for me, fetch might also wake up his deeply sleeping prey drive... this could be a problem as his "brother", the super predator could, under some circumstances, also be seen as a nummy treat, perhaps whatever is inside there needs to stay asleep.

He is really good coming when called (mostly, if he isn't too distracted) though so I guess its a trade off . Instead of playing fetch we'll just go on more walks. Walking is good for us. Yay walking!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Working for the work week

I was almost happy to get to work Monday morning. It would be the first rest I had had in days.

There was a AKC Fair at the state Fair Grounds and they were offering dog chipping for $20 less than a similar fair taking place in Clayton.  Rocket and I got up early and thought that if we got there early enough we could get in and out quickly.

Everyone had this brilliant idea. No one got in and out quickly. We all waited in line to wait in line. Dogs aren't big on lines or waiting. An hour and a half later Rocket had been in his words "violated" and I had peace of mind. it was hot, we had a long walk to the car and we got stopped every five yards by people wanting to see and touch Rocket. His head is now huge.

We made it home, feeling very much like pop stars, and Rocket needed a nap. While he slept I broke up with the garden. It was time, it just wasn't productive anymore and I had gotten out of it what I needed. It knew what it was signing up for, this was a summer romance and I was hitting the road once school started.


i didn't pull it all out as there are a couple of tomato plants with some nice looking not-quite-ripe yet fruits hanging on and so I want to give them a chance. It was a very bad year for tomatoes and I'm hopeing add to the few I was able to get harvested.

After looking at what I had wrought there, I turned my attention to the melon patch.


I only really got a full grown melon, one that looked grown but wasn't and several immature specimens that ended up as ice cream. I'm not buying this variety again. Next year I'm going with a traditional oblong variety. Above, "before". The five  melons that were far enough along in production, are going to be turned into jam and jelly.


After. I had forgotten about my goose and its gosling. I kept the sunflowers because they're still pretty.


What I deemed "not pretty"

Before I even started on the garden, I mowed the lawns, both of them. And then the garden and then laundry, all the laundry. I probably did yours too. I did laundry that I had been trying to forget about but I decided I needed the laundry hamper that I had kind of consigned to be in the basement. I didn't want to have to buy another because I was afraid of what might have taken up housekeeping in the sheets and towels. As it turned out, if they were there, they aren't there any longer. And now I have lots of fresh bedding for Rocket and my hamper back.

Oh, and when I got tired of being outside, I blanched and put up the rest of the veggies, and I mean after they were blanched  I cut them up and placed them on cookie sheets so they were freeze indivually so they would be easier to use and give me more options. So, yeah, the office was a nice change of pace.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Emmy (tm) Results 2012

And the Emmy (tm) went to...

Kimmel hits the stage at 8:05 pm

8:08 - Thus far not offensive.
8:10 - Puppy hears a door bell on TV and doesn't react.

First Award 8:11 - Damn, Amy Polar has great tits.

First Award Handed out to winner -  Supporting Actor in Comedy Series : Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family. 8:13

8:19 - back from commercial break . Best Writing for Comedy - Louis CK, Louie
8:23 - Best Supporting Actress Comedy - Julie Bowen, Modern Family
8:31 - Announcement of Guest Actor and Actress in a Comedy -  Kathy Bates and Jimmy Fallen
8:33 - Best Comedy Direction - Steve Levitan, Modern Family

There is a puppy sleeping on  my foot.

8:38 - Lead Actor in a Comedy - John Cryer, Two and a Half Men
8:44 - Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Julie Louis Dreyfus, Veep
8:51 - Outstanding Reality Competition - The Amazing Race
8:59 - Outstanding Reality Show Host - Tom Bergeron, Dancing with The Stars
9:05 - Supporting Actor Drama - Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
9:12 - Time killing
9:14 - Writing in a Drama Series -  Homeland
9:17 - Supporting Actress Drama - Maggie Smith, Downton Abby
9:23 - Announcement of Guest Actor and Actress in a Drama - Jeremy Davies, Martha Plimpton
9:25 - Best Director Drama - Tim Van Patten
9:26 - Time killing
9:27 - Lead Actor Drama - Damian Lewis, Homeland
9:36 - Lead Actress Drama - Clair Danes, Homeland 
9:43 - Outstanding Variety Special -  Louis CK, Live from the Beacon
9:50 - Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special -  Glenn Weiss,   2012 Tony Awards
9:54 - Outstanding  Variety, Music or Comedy -  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
10:02 - Time Killing
10:04 - Supporting Actress Mini Series or Movie - Jessica Lang, American Horror Story
10:07 - Time Killing
10:13 - Supporting Actor Mini Series or Movie - Tom Berenger, Hatfield's and McCoys
10:17 - Memorial to Andy Griffith
10:18 - In memoriam
10:26 - Outstanding Writing for Mini Series or Movie - Danny Strong, Game Change
10:28 - Lead Actress Mini Series or Movie - Julieanne Moore, Game Change
10:35 - Direction Mini Series or Movie - Jay Roach, Game Change
10:38 - Outstanding Lead Actor Mini Series or Movie -Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys
10:47 - Outstanding Mini Series or Movie -  Game Change
10:48 - Outstanding Drama Series - Homeland
10:56 - Outstanding Comedy Series - Modern Family















Friday, September 21, 2012

Our First (week) Anniversary

I've had Rocket for a whole week! It feels like I waited forever for him to be here and now it feels like he's always been here.

Today I took him on the same walk I took Daisy on before she died. It was a bitter sweet moment when I realized we were in her footsteps. I intentionally didn't walk the tracks because it seemed wrong - wrong and Rocket isn't tall enough to walk over them. I last walked there in June and there has all ready been changes! The street parking isn't unlimited anymore and they are painting out one of the condemned  factory buildings. Its going to look terrific, I did notice that the yarn bombed building wasn't bombed anymore and they had removed the fortune cookie  fortunes from the wall. The transient nature of art I guess.

I took Rocket downtown so he could experience some new things, its important to introduce him to as many new things and people as possible while he's this age, today I introduced him to a Fountain and he wasn't sure what to think about it. I think he thought it was loud.

Tomorrow we're really going to get some new experiences. There is a dog fair at the fair grounds and Rocket is going to go and get chipped! There's going to be a lot of people and a lot of noise and a lot of dogs, its going to be an ideal environment for a young dog to learn about new things and add to his list of achievements and successes.

Among his successes - only three accidents in the house! Sleeping through the night five out of six nights! Learning how to navigate the back steps! Scaling the stairway to the second floor, both upstairs and down! Getting much better at being crated!

Not successful yet : Fetching, taking too long to potty, pulling a little on the leash, and not really being totally dedicated to coming when called off leash.

We've made progress and we have progress yet to make. Week 1 at home.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Oopsy!


Rocket and I had our first puppy pre-school class and I didn't get an entry written. I did learn that I am doing pretty much the right things thus far and that Rocket is preceding apace for a dog his age. I got some advice on what to do to facilitate a faster potty when we go out- note to self, I'm going to buy some of that chemical they sell at the pet store that makes an area more attractive as a potty location, that wasn't part of the advice but I'm going to do it.

Rocket of course had his third accident ever while the trainer was there and he did not show off his proficiency with coming when called. He's very young. And I am supposed to buy more toys and become a toy ninja to help teach him what he can and can not chew on. And buy more treats. Lots and lots of treats.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Mommy (least) Dearest

Well, the Puppymoon is over. He peed on the carpet.

He's been so good! I'm pretty sure he's wet his crate a couple of times but he's been so good about the rest of the house. He hates his crate, really, really hates his crate! He screams and cries and whines and makes sounds like a dog being fed tail first into a sausage grinder. Slowly. He can go on and on and on. I can't be with him all the time! How long will he suffer like this?

I feel like a very bad dog mommy.

Until a minute ago he was sleeping on my lap, I decided to get up and move around and with the carpet peeing incident fresh in my mind, I put him in his crate. God I'm mean.

I need him to love his crate, I need him to not scream the whole time he's in the crate. He seems better when I'm close by but I put him in the crate because I can't be close by, I need to go the basement to wash more of his bedding, I need to take a shower or clean the cats box  or make dinner and some of these times he needs to be away.

He has a scrape on his nose and a blip on his lip from the crate fence and these make me feel like a dog abuser! I'm really hopeing the puppy school guy can enlighten me about how I should be handling these things. I feel very stupid a lot of the time, pretty much all the time he isn't A) sleeping in my lap or B) walking. We walk a lot. But at some point we have to go home and home is where the crate is. So I keep him out of the crate as much as possible but the more he's out of it the more he fails to get used to it. I really need for him to get used to it.

Its harder to "walk a lot" today for instance because its raining. We got in a two nice walks in spite of it and I was hopeing for a third quicky before bed but its raining again and I don't think its going to happen. Instead we'll just take many, many, many trips outside. Sigh. He's barking/crying again and I know its scaring him, his nose will all ready never be the same. I was hopeing I would be better at all this.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Baby Rocket


Its different with a puppy. They are much different than a dog, really, really different than an elderly dog. Puppy's are louder they want stuff they want to do stuff and sadly, they don't have the words yet . They have whining and crying and howling and screaming. They scream, I didn't know this, I don't think Daisy ever screamed about anything. It wasn't her way.

Despite the screaming,  I keep looking around and being a little shocked that this puppy is here and he's mine and he's what I've been waiting for all these years and he is here. Being here means being crated and I don't remember the crate being a struggle with Daisy. There was Daisy and there was a crate and then there was a larger crate and that was it. Daisy was six months old. Baby Rocket is now twelve weeks old  and he does not like the crate. At all. If I wasn't certain that he would eat my house and ruin the floors, I would let him sleep where ever he wanted to. It would stop the screaming but it would be a mistake.

But its so hard to make him unhappy, He's so little! He's a like a toy dog, he's just teeny and his ears are so big and his blue eyes are so pretty and expressive and he so cuddly and warm and soft and fuzzy and he tips over sometimes and he falls asleep in the middle of a thought and he's always up for a cuddle and he likes to be carried around and he's just the sweetest baby!

Friday night into Saturday he slept from eleven to seven. I thought how wonderful!. Saturday into Sunday he slept from eleven to seven, and I thought He is magnificent!. Sunday into Monday, he went to bed at eleven, and screamed for half and hour, and slept until one, somehow he knew I had to get up. And I got up and took his little butt outside and hoped like hell he did whatever he needed to do. We went back to bed and he screamed for half an hour and I thought Oh Jesus!

Aside from the screaming. Have I mentioned that spending several hours having a warm puppy snuggled up on your chest is just about heaven? And that  Between walks, visiting family, meeting the neighbors, seeing the vet and potty breaks, I spent the whole weekend with a warm puppy asleep on my chest.

Speaking of walks? Rocket walks on a leash like he's been doing it for years he just trots right a long his little tail in the air and his little butt all pert and puppyish, you can tell he's a very proud little dog. He's going to be a big dog though, his feet are enormous but there are still smaller than his velvety soft ears. Everything about him, including his screaming, is perfect.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012

Friday Cat Blogging


Fortress of Boxitude

TGIPD! (Thank God its Puppy Day!)





I decided I didn't like the glow-in-the-dark set. Too theme-y and too expensive. I returned them and went to target where I bought for about a lot less the above. And the brreeder got back with me with the final puppy choice and its..... Green and Yellow boy! So clearly, I needed a gener apropriate collar . His name is Rocket.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Puppy Count Down

T- 24 hours. I have two crates, one for travel one for living, both with brand new cushy padding, puppy food, puppy bowls, puppy toys, puppy toys, puppy toys, puppy leash, puppy collar, puppy treats. I've got my pet insurance on stand-by, a puppy trainer lined up and I've made the puppies initial vet appointment. Whew!

I also think their is a chance that puppy might end up living in travel crate at the very beginning because Spacious Crate might be a little too much space at first for a potty training puppy. Puppy will move up in a  few weeks but its better for his training regime if he's in a more compact space at first.

Now I just need a puppy. And I need the breeders to get in touch with me and let me know which puppy I'll be bringing home. I had settled on Green and Yellow Boy but I allowed that I was still open to a girl puppy, but now I think I really want Yellow and Green Boy.

It made collar shopping a trial.

I did a  silly thing and spent the bucks on a matching leash and collar ens-amble - Dumb, but puppy is going to be tiny for such a short time and will be photographed so many hundreds of times, I want the pictures to look nice and for puppy to look nice in them. Also I can't bare to use Daisy's' anything, so there is that. Daisy went through several collars before I found the right one so I have no doubt this will be an ongoing theme. I like the new leash though even though is too small for life long use, it does glow in the dark as does the collar and that make me feel safer about early morning walks and late night trips to the potty.

I got a very nice glow-in-the-dark set and they feature lovely paw prints in shades of gray.



 I think they will look very becoming on puppy. I wanted to start off with the Baracks Best Friend collar but its a little large yet. It will get worn, oh yes, it will get worn.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Travelers Canceled my Policy Because I Made A Claim.


I spoke with the Insurance Commission about what Travelers did to me  - AKA  Travelers Canceled My Policy Because I Made A Claim.

Apparently, because they sent a notice to tell me they Were Canceling My Policy Because I Made A Claim, its legal and my complaint would go on file but otherwise languish. I bet Travelers donates a lot of money to Mitt Romney, you can tell they are his kind of folks -  Rich Scum Bags.

Since the state wouldn't help me I went to Travelers,  to ask why They Canceled My Policy Because I Made A Claim.

I wrote them an email :

My Police was canceled after many years of coverage. It was canceled because I made a claim for $3400 in the wake of  a tornado on April 16, 2012. I have not made a claim since that occurred and I received a letter of renewal in July.

Today I received another letter informing me that my policy was canceled because I made a claim for the damage incurred during the April 16, 2011 storms in Raleigh NC.

I did not know that it was part of our "deal" together that I was to send you a lot of money for many years and then as soon as you are put into a position to give some of that money back, you cancel my policy. What you did according to the NC Department of Insurance, is not illegal, it is however, unethical and I am telling every one I know through word of mouth and social media what kind of company you are.

I thought Travelers was a good company and that is why I chose you in the first place, I was wrong and so is everyone else that places their trust and their money in you. Be ashamed.

They are supposed to get back to me but I really would doubt that this is going to happen. Because they are corporate scum bags. Don't do business with Travelers Insurance.

To make myself feel better I went at lunch and bought puppy food and puppy bowls. After work I bought a nice soft blankey for the puppy's' travel crate




Of course I had to over think this. There was another remnant in the pile that was clearly meant for babies and it was very cute and was covered with cute baby-centric messages. I almost got this, but the guy cutting the fabric had to go back to electronics and I had time to think about it. I settled on the still juvenile, but not as expressly baby-centric design because it is a nice, warm fabric and puppy will surely use it for years and it isn't necessary or even appropriate long term  for it to say "baby" all over it.What I really wanted  was the fabric decorated with paw prints, but they wanted twice what they were asking for the remnants and I wouldn't do it.

 And when I came home I made watermelon ice cream.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Travelers Insurance Canceled My Policy Because I Submited A Claim


Yes, that's right : Travelers Insurance Canceled My Home Owners Policy Because I Submitted A Claim. Period.

It was a claim for $3462, on April 16, 2011. A tornado - not something malices I did. a tornado, an act of God if you will, uprooted a giant tree, knocked down my fence and damaged my carport. I got out lucky, my neighbors house was crushed.

They sent out an adjuster, he looked at the damage , wrote me a check and I went about the business of putting my yard back together. Time passed and everything got better, my neighbors fixed their house and we all moved on.

July 25, 2011, I got a renewal notice from Travelers thanking me for allowing them to continue servicing my Homeowners Policy, they appreciated my business and wanted to be my BFF forever. Forever isn't as long as it used to be.

The reason for un-renewing my renewal was the "windstorm" on April 16. I called my agent and was greeted by a very tired woman who had all ready heard from many clients like myself in the past couple of hours and we were all pissed. She was pissed, she was surprised that they canceled me because all the other cancellations including the woman who had all her insurance through Travelers canceled because her house was robbed - were all along the coast and the agent surmised that Travelers was getting out of the hurricane business. It turns out they are getting out of the weather business.

After getting thousands of dollars out of me over the last decade they dropped me and apparently, many others, because they had to give some of it back.

Avoid Travelers Insurance, they are rotten and greedy and most likely support kicking puppies to death and the election of Mitt Romney.



Today is September 11. Rest in Peace. Humans were not the only ones who served, The dogs who searched and rescued.

Monday, September 10, 2012

What I did this weekend...


I cooked


I cleaned

 I mowed the lawn



And I played with puppies!








The contender, yellow and green boy


 
 
 
 
Two puppies went home this weekend, the last meal with all twelve
 
 

 
 

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday Cat Blogging


A good time is not being had by all

Last night I carpet bombed the flea armies, tonight, I utilized napalm.

Last night I also missed the by all reports historic Clinton speech because I was rocking and whimpering in my basement at my water heaters' death bed while it wept and wept and cried puddles. It was a bad night.

Broskey came today and officially cut off hydration and pulled the plug. No one cried. Tomorrow, a nice man is coming from a nice plumbing company to help my new water heater move in. I know he's a nice person because he was so nice when I spoke with him at 5:30am this morning.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

A Million Tiny Putzes

Instead of doing something fun, i.e shopping for Alphagals birthday gift , I vacuumed thoroughly the downstairs, laundered all the launder-able linens and drowned the cat in anti-flea cat mist - the beasts were climbing off his head like rats from a sinking ship!  Little did they know I had no problem spraying kitty in the face! They were pouring off his little body! It was gross. I can do this once a week. I need to get some spray for the carpet and bomb again before Future Puppy comes home.

I think the fleas were able to take over the way they did because after Daisy passed, I stopped vacuuming that room and didn't launder any of the bedding. I closed the door and they went ape shit, by the time I was ready to open that room again they had reached maximum density and it was fleamageddon.  I had inadvertently kept the population down for years by treating her with Frontline on a schedule and bathing her at least once a month and at that time, vacuuming the room and washing the bedding. And then I stopped. Mistakes were made.

I felt a little odd and I looked down at my bare ankle a moment ago and there was nothing crawling on it. It was a weird feeling.



Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Urban Jungle

 I came back from vacation to a house colonized with fleas, occupied by mice and a backyard rain forest. Welcome Home, Me!

Yay. The house I'm going to have to do something with soon, the back yard I'm going to have to get on now. I have a puppy coming home in a couple of weeks and the backyard is not ready. The puppy isn't going o be spending a lot of time there, but I think potty time would be a lot more agreeable if puppy could see over the weeds. I'm also not sure what lives out there in the weeds and I don't want it getting a toe hold.

A toe hold like the flees have inside, for instance. They fleas have to go before puppy comes home. I'm going to have to bomb the house again and so some serious repeat vacuuming and hot-water laundering because Small Cat and I don't like playing dot-to-dot with the fleas at all. They irritate me to a point but they really irritate Small Cat, even after being treated with the top of the line flea killer. They have to go.

It is easier for to figure out how to deal with the yard. Cheaper too, to be honest. Here is the yard as it is, keeping in mind I all ready weeded the melon garden and whacked at the grass with the scythe.



Post scything.

For a really small space, it looks massive when its in as bad a shape as it is now. On the upside, it is green.

The hanging baskets didn't make it through my vacation. In my defence, they were looking a little peaky when I left and I didn't have much hope they would be there when I got back. The first job I tackled was pulling the dead plants out and adding the dirt to my pretend compost bin. I also added some cut up water melon rinds and some tomato skins for zest.



Does it look really heavy? It is! Does it look kind of massive? It is! The only potted plants that did well while I was gone was the ferns. My old room mate fern might have outgrown the entry way, and little fern isn't little anymore either. I'm not sure where either of them is going to spend the winter, they have to be somewhere where neither animal will eat them and where they won't be in  my way.



Little fern is really not little anymore, its smaller than Ferny but its a lot bigger than it was in the spring. The ferns have loved the wet, humid weather. Everything else died or really had to work hard to keep going.


I'm not sure you can see them but there are four melons hiding in there. I ate half of one of the melons and I was sadly less then delighted. It was good but it was the superior melon that I turned out last year. Note to self, be really careful when buying melon plants.


The peppers are producing like mad and there are four tomatoes ripening up. I think the curtain call for the garden may be early this year. I have to do something with the feeder hoses because I have to mow the yard and I can't do a really through job with them in the way. I could just unhook them for the mowing but that leads to leaks - but, I think I'm just going to have to deal with it because I don't want to have to pull everything up before they really need to be pulled up - but how many peppers do I need?

I have so much work to do.


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Blergh

I'm back but not really. I did have a lovely birthday party and yummy cake and that was very nice but now I am now involved with pouting and mumbling under my breath and rolling my eyes. I'm back but I'm not happy about it.

I'm also not happy that I was gone for three weeks and the elves didn't step in and fix everything that was bothering me when I left! The damn nerve. There were fleas in the house when I left and they are still here! I fumigated! Nothing should be alive at this point. But everything is alive! The mice are still here! The fleas did not flee!

Also, the backyard was not landscaped while I was gone. I left it slightly over grown and came back to a jungle!  But... After I hacked my way through the over-growth, I found that my plants were positively gravid with fruits! My sauce tomatoes even came ripe! The fancy plants didn't even flower. The peppers didn't take a vacation and they produced like it was their job.


A little more exploration found some melons! Small, but ripe




And while I was feeling sorry for myself, I began to feel sorry for the peppers. I helped them reach their potential.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

The Road to Puppyville


Two more steps down the road...



You can't get into what you can't get into! $6.50 a pop and they both looks nice with my decor. Yay!! And I get to go visit the puppies in the morning!

Saturday, September 1, 2012