Friday Cat Blogging

The dog has his own house. Yeah well, I'm allowed on the bed.

Santa Inc.

I am thinking up ways of tidying up bath-phobic Rocket before I take him for his 2nd Annual Photo With Santa. The 1st Annual Photo With Santa was a bit of an adventure/ordeal owing to his lack of age and experience and obedience, and I am hoping that this year I can get a picture in less than forty takes.

I could in theory take him to the mall for Doggy and Santa day but I think it would end up being 1) More expensive than Petco and 2) A complete nightmare. He does do really well in crowds and around other dogs and with strangers so it might be okay, but I have a bad feeling about the lights and the people and the whole Mall Environment - it could get ugly and  I'malso afraid it won't and  once we have experienced Picture With Genuine Real Mall Santa in his gorgeous suit and beautiful beard, we won't be able to go back to the Petco Ernest Volunteer Santa in his/her red scrubs and Duck Dynasty (tm) wig beard.

And I'm not sure taking the dog to the Mall Santa doesn't send a bad message about me. My human neice and nephew have never been to the mall to see Santa and my dog has? No, I don't think that would be a good thing.

It had been my practice with Daisy and now with Rocker, that we go to both Petco and Petsmart  for pictures with Santa. It usually took at least two different photo shoots to get the right picture and I never knew which place was going to have the really good frame. Its all about the frame!. Also it was nice to spread the charity money around and most years after the first picture debacle, Daisy was much calmer and easier to direct at the second stop and Rocket is turned out to be about the same. The first Santa actually left in tears after five month old  Rocket ended up sitting on his head! By the second Santa, Rocket was much less combative and only needed to be held down by Santa and an out of frame elf. He's older now and been through several obedience classes so I am hoping it is less of an ordeal for everyone involved.

This year we go to Petco. Petsmart has decided to forgo the picture taking and the frames and instead  are providing a Santa and the opportunity to DIY the picture.Super. The idea being that he $5 donation can go straight to worthy causes! Yay! (according to the Petsmart press release I saw on Facebook). The general feeling from the commenters was Boo! I would rather pay the $8 and not have to take my own picture and score a cute frame! Cheap Bastards! You Suck!  Petsmart claims we can then upload our pictures to out family and friends immediately! - So we will take these shots with out phones? Super High Quality Petsmartman! Wow! I can't wait!

So Saturday, we are going to Petco.  maybe I'll just give Rocket a quick  polish before we go  and maybe some tranqs.

Bow Ties for your Dog, for MY dog.

Wednesday after work., after picking up the dog from daycareI went to a holiday party that a store downtown was throwing for itself. It wasn't so much a "party" as it was "Hey. COme downtown on a Wednesday and brouse our store because we were closed at Thanksgiving because we are run by a committee" . I could have gone there this Friday for First Friday, but its just far enough away from my regualr stimping grounds that I would have to drive there and I drove around last First Friday and, well, it gets dark now.

Anyway. At the store while I was browsing and wishing I had lots of money to spend on my family and friends - because of course I saw things that would be perfect  but perfection comes at a price and if that price is not "clearence", its not going to happen.

Wouldn't it be cool to have enough money to randomly buy art? Instead of trying take covert pictures of it? Here, if I had money, you would so have this for real! Isn't it perfect? Its $75, the artist is local.

Anyway, one of the many things I wanted but could not buy were Doggy Bow Ties . The store wanted $18.50 a pop,so it was a no go for Rocket, but  other stores sell dog bow ties! Target sells doggy bow ties! They aren't as cute as the artisanal/made from locally sourced organic cotton and natural dyes/locally made ties I wanted but couldn't have.

Holding Target in my back pocket I went online.

Shockingly, I am not the first person to be shocked at the prices for retail dog ties! I searched  Dog Bow Ties . A couple of hounded thousand hits, I decided to narrow my search, I went for Slide on Dog Bow Ties, another hundred thousand hits to peruse  - Oddly, out in the world, they are also out of my price range.

Enter DIY. Keeping in mind that  I do not sew :How To Make Dog Bow Ties. This was fine but how about free patterns?  An additional 200,000 + sites to checkout. A quick peak for  How To Knit a Dog Bow Tie  ( Hi Mom!) and then I found  a pictorial on how to make a dog bow tie! Shazaam!

If I could sew or follow instructions I would be a real danger to myself and others. I would also have the best dressed pets in the world.

Tuesday

I am going to decorate the tree. I decided I would be just so depressed if I didn't that it will save time if I just do it and get it over with. Otherwise I have this bad vision of myself finally getting the ornaments on the tree and then having to take it down a week later.

I'm going to do, but not tonight. Tonight I'm basking in my efficiency and time management! Due to having to leave with the dog to take out walk within minutes of coming home, I am now back home at such a time that I can feed both of us, watch a little teevee and still have time to run to Wallyworld to pick lunch stuff  and still be back before 7pm. I could do this same errand before lunch but I would have to pass many, many not-bagged-lunch options along the way so its safer to do this after dinner.

Over the summer we might not even get back from our walk until after seven. Over the summer I can come home from work and relax before going on a forced march. I will admit though, that the forced march is much nicer in the cold than in the heat.When it is cooler we go further and stay out longer.

I look forward to Christmas not because Yay Christmas! but because its after the solstice and it has started to stay a little lighter a little longer all ready. This pre-solstice period sucks for evening walks - but oddly, Rocket gets more walks in the winter because since we finish our walk so early, I sometimes take him out for an additional walk in the evening. Tonight I do not think we'll be walking as Rocket and Ace tired themselves out playing chase and then barking at each other until they both fell asleep. They only stopped because I got tired of the barking and put Rockets bark collar on. This broke the spell and the vibe: Its only fun if you can bark really loud and if you aren't getting bark at at full volume it just isn't worth it.

thedogpeedagainbutinhisboxonhisbedding.

To do or not to do

I have made progress on the Christmas decorations.  Some progress. I got my creche set out and set up

This made me feel pretty good and so I moved on to the mantel. This is not finished because its missing the stockings, but it looks pretty good to me and I'm sitting there looking at it and thinking it looks really pretty  as it is and I start seriously wondering if I really need to hangup the stockings at all.

Isn't  that pretty?Look at that mantel being all shiny and bright and festive. I'm not sure it "needs" stockings.

Now, we move on to the tree. I put the garland on it and took a step back.

I think that looks great. Its pretty and glittery and just about everything you could ask for from a treet.

But.

Eventuially, the lights have to go up

Oh God! Kill it with fire! How awful! But then I started thinking, How often will I be around to see it being ugly? Does it bother me that it's not pretty? Yes and no.  Yes, it would look better in the harsh light of day if it were fully dressed but... I am too lazy to do the job and then I think about the job of stripping it and suddenly I am really wondering Can I not put the ornaments on the tree? Can I do that?

Or.

Will it make me look sad and pathetic? I am going to bring out the Santas!... But then I think, why bring them out if you aren't going to decorate the tree? And then I wonder? Why do any og it? Who is going to see any of it? Why bother doing anything I don't want to deal with? I mean really? What if I don't decorate? Whatif I am happy with the more moderate decorations? I'll have to put some thought into this.

Work to be done.

One of my few Must Gets this weekend was Weimaraner  or Rocket themed ornaments or if I got really lucky, a weim riding on a rocket. I was not successful at the mall. Leave it to freaking Wallyworld to come through

I know the gray things are supposed to be robots but in my world and on my tree, those are weims until  I score the ones I really want - because I need more than one on the tree representing young dog, as it is the tree is just about covered with Daisy dogs , which is great and I'm glad to have them and its always nice to see Daisy, but I also want to see Rocket represented as well.

I gt my trees up and the outdoor stuff taken care of but I still haven't decorated the tree or the mantel piece or brought out the Santas. I have a lot of work to do but it doesn't all have to be done today. I bought a new tree for the office room last year after Christmas but I'm afraid it was not the best choice - it is the saddest little tree ever and I'm not sure if I want it anymore, it may not last the week.

This is it without the cover of darkness

This is it in its Christmas drag. I think it just looks too thin and peaky for a display tree.

When I wasn't looking for Dr. Strangweim ornaments, I was able to get the rest of my shopping done - online, but I got what I needed and if I was smart, I would be wrapping things now instead of waiting until the last minute or asking Broskey to wrap his own gifts for me because he enjoys wrapping gifts and can even do a good job with his eyes closed.

Speaking of things I should be doing now I should be putting my energy to getting my cards out too, I need to get busy with my addresses and make sure that I have new addresses for my people who have moved in the last year.

Things I should be doing right now

- Tree decoration

- Mantel decoration

- Cards mailed

- presents wrapped

- Christmas dog treats for Rocket and Valentine

I don't really need to spend all day at the office do I?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Quality

I almost didn't get this done. I came back from a bitter cold walk with Rocket, made myself some mac and cheese and bbq  pulled chicken, fed Rocket and then settled into my electric blanket and the TV.

Rocket not beign a stuiped animal, has learned that the best place to be is not on the quilt but under the quilt and he will burrow under if forced, it allows him to be surrounded by warmth and he and I like it better that way. I get all the benefits of electric blanket warmth as well as warm dog comfort. The dog figured out the wonder of being under the covers his first winter, I have been trying to convince the cat of that for six years to no avail.

I don't know if the cat is just that dim or his fur is just that thick.

Today on the Dog Spy 2000, I saw that the reason Rocket is so good beteeen six and noon is because Rocket is asleep between six and noon. He doesn't start passing and fussing and  peeing until at least a quarter to two. And then he's bouncing off the walls. The Prozac is  working but I need something with a slower release,something that might cover him for longer than six hours.

Today he peed on the bedding I left for him in the crate and then he pulled the sodden fabric onto the floor, ostensibly to steep, the plastic  floor of the crate being impenetrable and lacks the capacity to become as satisfyingly saturated as the hardwood floor.

Leaf Me Alone

A better weekend than last.

I went to the Raleigh Christmas parade, found it very similar to the one from last year, except this year instead of one or two helium balloons there were no helium balloons! Due to a worldwide shortage of helium. Instead we had an air blown  beaver. Merry Damchristmas!

I also raked the yard the old fashioned way - I would have vacuumed it but the leave coverage was too deep and I don't want to burn out my mower motor doing something stupid I could do by hand. The mower is pretty green but nothing is as green as a rake. It should be about reducing our carbon footprint, not making our lives easier. At least until we can vacuum the yard without putting the mower at risk.

I on purpose didn't get all the leaves up because the canopy is still pretty full on it and there is no point to expending  the time and energy and the creation of blisters, of getting the leaves all up, only to have more fall. I'll be more careful when the leaves have all fallen and then I pull out the mower and really clean everything up.  Until then, I'm not going to put the effort into it.

My plan proved its worth in a few hours

I mean, whats the point?  The city will come along and take the leaves but I don't know when that will be done next.I guess it gives me time to get this layer up and to the curb. The backyard is on its own, the leaf coverage will make for very nice mulch.  I bet the weeds that make up my front yard would also appreciate the layer of mulch but sadly, they don't rate the same care as my vegetables. Sorry weeds. And also, the neighbors don't have to deal at my mulchy back yard the same way as they have to deal with the leaves that escape from my front yard and colonize their yards. I'm just as much of  a leafe blown victim as they are - The hipsters haven't raked any of their hateful eaves from their hateful tree at all BECAUSE ALL THEIR LEAVES ARE IN MY YARD, ON MY DRIVEWAY AND ON MY PATIO.

I think I'lltake the dog out to pee. IN THEIR YARD.

Made with #Pixlr # - http://pixlr.com/mobile

Made with #Pixlr # - http://pixlr.com/mobile

Friday Cat Blogging

Bar Dog II

Rocket and I went to our second Cause for Paws fund raiser at The London Bridge Pub and Rocket tied with two other dogs for third place for Cutest Dog! He got the adulation of dozens and I got a neat tee-shirt!

Poor dog, by the end of the evening he was  just about zonked out! He spent the day at Daycare and so he hasn't really slept all day - he needs his beauty rest if he is going to be at the best at da club into the evening hours.

Such a good boy though and we had a great time.

Here he is checking out the competition

He took this "selfy" after I became suspicious that someone had spiked the water bowls!

Here he is at the end of the evening, totally chill waiting for the announcement of the winners. No stress here, note his total confidence in himself.

Got 'er done

The sum total of my accomplishments for the day:

Ta Da!


whispered as to not tempt fate: thedogwasdryallday