Working at the Playground

It's a tough job to be a puppy in training. You have to go to the playground and try new things!
The slide:

The sandbox:

Being a puppy is tiring.

Fina Howling in the Crate

Lunch

I met Maggie at Pizzaria Uno's on Friday, after driving around town looking everywhere for a place that had outside facilities. The weather hasn't been that warm, so nobody was set up, and/or people had gone out of business when we weren't looking.

Fina enjoyed it.

Pictures from Class

Just a few shots from class....including puppy pandemonium!

The Delmarva Region Grand Opening

We had our big grand opening party the day after the puppies came. It was a huge deal, with the Governor of Delaware in attendance (she said she was promised some puppy-holding time, and who could resist that!)

Barbara and Randy worked their butts off for this, and did a wonderful job. The local newspapers were there, as was Channel 7, WMDT. (Once I figure out how to get the video off of my DVR and onto a CD, I'll post the news story). Here's a bit of the story from the Milford Beacon:

Guiding Eyes for the Blind Delmarva Puppy Raising Region off to a great start
By Jennifer Robinson
Staff Writer
jennifer@milfordbeacon.com

Barbara Byle, the regional coordinator for Delmarva, has been busy setting the foundation for Guiding Eyes’ Puppy Raising Program.

The focus for the past few weeks has been for six new puppy raisers to attend pre-placement classes at Byle’s home.

“They’ve come every week for two hours for our pre-placement classes,” Byle said.

In addition, Byle has been visiting the homes of each of the puppy raisers to ensure that it is safe for their new arrival. The puppies are already equipped with kennels and supplies, thanks to a generous donation from All-Span Inc.

“I go there to help determine the best way to keep their puppy safe in their home because every home is different,” Byle said.

Kramer, the Labrador puppy that Byle is raising has also been a vital part of the training. He will remain with the couple for 14 to 16 months so they can teach him basic obedience and good manners.

“He’s doing really well,” Byle said. “He’s been the puppy we’ve used in classes and he makes me look good every time.”

Soon however, Kramer will be joined by his sister, Karleen, and two other puppies from the Bay Region, as well as Byle’s Labradors, Faulkner and Promise, for the training. One dog will be placed with each of the puppy raisers so they can sit for it and truly get a feel for the adventure they are about to embark on.

“Everybody wants to take Kramer home, but unfortunately we only have one Kramer,” Byle said. “It really is to give them a chance to see what it is with the commitment they’re going to make. It’s all to help them make an informed decision because it’s not your typical volunteer job.”

An opening ceremony will be held for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Delmarva Puppy Raising Region at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4, at Bicentennial Park. If weather prohibits the ceremony from being held at Bicentennial Park, it will be held in the banquet room of Smith & Co. Restaurant. Five of the six puppy raisers will receive their puppies there. Sen. Gary Simpson has accepted an invitation to the ceremony, and commissioners from Kent and Sussex County and the Milford City Council have also been asked to join in the event.

“What we are doing is welcoming Guiding Eyes to the Delmarva Region,” Byle said.

Classes will continue the first and third Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Bicentennial Park. Anyone interested in becoming a puppy raiser or becoming involved in the effort is asked to come out.

“People are welcome to come out and observe,” Byle said.

Those interested in the program should have a love for animals, high energy and be able to attend class twice a month. Potential candidates should also be able to provide a loving home. Guiding Eyes pays for all veterinary care, and the puppy raiser is responsible for food and any toys. The next series of pre-placement classes will begin in June.

“We encourage anyone interested in puppy raising to fill out an application online and attend those classes,” Byle said.

Those interested in helping may volunteer in a variety of other ways if not as a puppy raiser. Other opportunities include becoming a puppy sitter, helping with fund-raising, public relations, presentations for community awareness, recruitment, sponsorship, or by working as helpers or instructors in class. Volunteers are also needed to help find sites for classes and quarterly evaluations, as well as those to help track vests that designate the puppies as dogs in training. They are also in need of sponsoring vets. Haven Lake of Milford, is a sponsor for Kramer as well as one of the new puppies.

After the puppies complete their time with their raisers, they will return to New York for Infortraining. If they pass, they will then go on to more formal training to become a guide dog.

Dogs that do not make it as a guide dog do have other opportunities to work either through ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) for arson and bomb detection or for a new program through Guiding Eyes for autistic children.

For more information on the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Delmarva Puppy Raising Region, call Byle at 422-3522 or visit www.volunteer.guidingeyes.org.

“People are welcome to join us,” Byle said.

It was a smashing success; it also was a last hurrah for Pat Clark, who has retired. I was happy to be able to give her a big hug and a thank you for picking out Fina for us.

I'll just post some pictures from the event..


.

And finally, exhaustion after her big day!

Fina

Wow. The day has come and she has arrived! Actually, she arrived last night, and we've continued to be amazed by this little girl.

We picked her up a little early yesterday; Richard, Maggie and I went. Unfortunately, Max had to toil away at Sears. We arrived a little late due to construction traffic, but the pups were late also, so it worked out. Barbara and Randy were nice enough to host us in their home, but it was all I could do not to keep running to the window and see if they were here yet! The weather was miserable, cold and rainy, but all of our spirits were high!

They arrived, and we all gathered at the back of the van. The back door went up, and there were five little angels, four yellow and one black, all jumping on top of one another. My eyes welled up, they were just so cute. A few minutes passed, and then we all got our babies.

Fina seems a little overwhelmed at first, and shy. But we walked around a bit, and we all went inside so the pups could eat. We got a briefing about the Grand Opening, and got our shirts. Everyone loaded up their stuff, and off we went to begin the next 18 months.

Fina wasn't too happy at first about being in the crate in the car, but she finally fell asleep. We kept trying to ply her with toys to keep her happy, but then we realized ok, she's got to learn to calm herself.

We had our first evening together, which was blissfully uneventful. Mookie and Fina got along very well, and Mookie seemed to know that Fina is a baby and needs a little bit of TLC in the play area. We all continued to be amazed at the knowledge that Fina possesses at such a young age. In the following picture, it looks like chaos ensued, but it actually didn't. They were chasing the "redman" toy in this picture, and both running after it at full speed. I love the look on Fina's face!

Bedtime came at about 10:30pm, and Fina complained about it for about 30 minutes, but eventually fell asleep. She slept until about 4 a.m., when we went out again, but then she slept again until about 6:30. All in all, it's probably the best first night I've had with any puppy!


Our first day together was wonderful, all in all. I'm exhausted, and the house is in a little bit of a state (thank GOD for Richard), but life is good for all of us here.

I'll post about the opening ceremonies tomorrow (after a good night's sleep)!

Karma in Action: Tragic Boating Accident Interrupts Canadian Seal Hunt

Instant Karma's gonna get ya.

From AP:

The annual Canadian seal hunt was marred Saturday by a boat accident in the ice-covered Gulf of St. Lawrence that killed members of the boat's crew, officials said. "There have been fatalities," fisheries department spokesman Michel Plamondon said, but a precise casualty figure was not available. Rescue teams recovered three bodies and another person was still missing in the waters north of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canadian media reported.

Max

Max turned 18 yesterday.

He bought a lottery ticket this morning. I had to laugh. He's his mother's son.

There just no damn way my youngest child is 18.

Richard and I are kind of scratching our heads, and looking around going "huh?" (well, that seems to be normal for us some times, in our advancing years :) )

He's saving for a shotgun to go hunting with.



How do they grow up so fast? If I think about it too hard, I get weepy.

Two children, both almost adults.

But, they do still leave their socks all over the house. I guess I can take comfort in that, right? There is still job security for me! Yes!

Karleen and Me

I'm taking a 20 minute break from puppy stuff. I need it. I'm exhausted, actually.

It's been a really long time since I've had a puppy, and she's not even really a little puppy. She's actually a little vacuum cleaner.

I've got to get myself on a good schedule when Fina comes. I've had three days of suspended animation here...nothing but puppy stuff is really getting done. The cats are all on my shit list (literally, ha ha), and Mookie has gotten yelled at a few times today. He gets too happy and doesn't want to listen, and when he's happy, Karleen's happy and pandemonium ensues!

She's going back tomorrow, and every day it's been easier, so I think that it's just going to be me getting into a schedule and being prepared for stuff that will make this all much easier. Actually, when you think about it, that will make life easier, actually.

:)

The Eagle and Osprey Cam

Over at the Blackwater Refuge they have cameras set up at the eagles nest and the osprey nest. No osprey so far, but there is a beautiful eagle family to watch. It's amazing to see so many eagles; I remember when I was a kid, you only saw them in zoos or on tv. Now I actually see them on the side of the road.
This is one of the reasons I so love it here.

The Lost Pit Bull

Driving along the back road from the Home Depot today, I encountered a young pit bull loose in the traffic. Nobody around trying to catch the dog. Nobody looking for the dog. The poor thing was terrified and running in and out of traffic. So, I had to pull over.

She was a bit traumatized, and wouldn't come to me, so I'm thinking about what I've got in the truck. I'd just been to the dollar store, and got a small bag of animal crackers. When I got the bag open, her interest was piqued enough to keep her from running back into the street, even though she wouldn't come near me. I sat down on the curb in the elementary school, and started throwing cookies her way. Aaah, cookies. She liked them. She came a little closer, and a little closer. I held out a cookie, and she slowly came up and took it out of my hand. This whole process took about ten minutes....she really liked the cookies, and decided that I was ok, and let me pet her. Once I did that, she crawled up into my lap, seemingly so happy that somebody was saving her from the busy street. I was relieved that she didn't eat my face off. I was a little hesitant, honestly, but what are you going to do? I had to try.

I got up to get the leash that I keep in my truck, and she wanted no part of that, so we went through the cookie thing again, until I could get the leash on her. I got her to jump up into the truck, and wondered what the hell I was going to do. She seemed sweet and loveable, but I didn't know if it would be safe to take her home overnight. The humane society is closed until tomorrow. I decided to try and find out where she lived. I locked up the truck, and started walking with her. Someone suggested a house where she might be from, and there were two other pits in the back who didn't seem to happy to see me. All I could think of as I went into the gate was please god don't let their chains come loose. I rang the bell, and I knocked on the window....no answer. So I went up and down the street, hoping someone would recognize this little girl.

Finally, out comes this woman from the first house, saying that the dog was hers. The dog seems to know her, and was happy to see her. Honestly, the woman could have been a little more grateful, actually.) But I couldn't let that poor little girl be darting in an out of traffic and not do anything about it. Goodness she was a sweetheart. I wish I could describe how she was sitting in my lap and loving being petted.

See, that's why you should always keep cookies and a leash in your car.

Tricia

I've decided I'd like to write about various members of my family...as my last "conversation" (via Aim) was with my niece Tricia, I'll begin with her.

Tricia was just a little one when I met her, so very cute. I probably got to know her faster than I got to know anybody else in Richard's big family, as I had the privilege of having her come over on Wednesdays, while Beth was working. We'd always have some kind of a project to do, and then go to McDonalds for our "Ladies Lunch". Not too long ago, Tricia told me that she still had this little pillow we made with her and Roxy's picture on it. I was so touched that she still had it.

Tricia was the flower girl at my and Richard's wedding, and she was adorable.

On the way up the aisle, she thought she had to scatter the flower petals. Unfortunately, the flowers that were in her basket were wired in, and she had trouble with the last one. She turned to Beth and told her that she couldn't get that last flower out. The whole church laughed, and it set the tone for the rest of the wedding. It was great.

She's growing up so quickly though; each time I see her I realize how fast the time goes by. She and I talk via the computer quite a bit, and I really look forward to it. It's a way to keep in touch, even though we are so far away now. She puts up with all the silly things I tell her, and listens to "funny old aunt margo" and her latest projects. Beth and Dan have done a great job with her; they should be very proud of themselves.

Tricia should be proud of herself too. She's going to go a long way in this world, I have a feeling.
In my heart, she's still that little girl with me at our "ladies lunch", eating french fries with no ketchup, brushing Roxanne with the "luv glove" and laughing. But in my eyes, she's grown up to be a beautiful young lady.

Baby Names

The today show had a thing on their website about horrible baby names. I think that I'm going to keep these written down somewhere to use as "working" names for when we have the Newfoundland puppies......

Al Caholic
Oliver Clothesoff
I.P. Freely
Seymour Butz
Mike Rotch
Hugh Jass
Amanda Hugginkiss
Ivana Tinkle
Anita Bath
Maya Buttreeks

Fever Bender (born 1856)
Leper Priest (born 1929)
Cholera Priest (born 1830 during the second cholera pandemic)
Rubella Graves (born 1814)
Typhus Black (born 1897)
Hysteria Johnson (born 1881)
Emma Royd (born 1850)
Kathryn E. Coli (born 1894)
Mumps Sykes (born 1891)

These are actual names, from the site ancestry.com

Parents can be so cruel.

(my personal favorite? Maya Buttreeks)

THE PUPPIES THE PUPPIES THE PUPPIES

I now have access to the "big people's" part of the Guiding Eye website....I got to see the puppies. I'm not sure which are the ones that we will be getting, but it is just so exciting to see all of them. Here's two pictures:


This is Reba and her puppies: Jamie, Juliann, Jetta, Janine, Jedi, and Jewel. Here's another picture of just the puppies:


Pat said she thought we'd be getting "K" puppies (all their names will start with K), but the K puppies are German Shepards. So, I'm not sure what lot they'll come from, but as soon as I know..... god they are just so cute.

As this time gets closer, I'm getting more and more excited. Also, more and more nervous. I'm praying I can live up to this responsibility. I think about completing this, and then letting him or her go. I think about it and already I tear up; but like I was saying to Richard last night, it's like a child. You meet all their needs when they are tiny, and then you teach them, and take care of them, until they are ready to go to college. They go, and you let them go, but it hurts to do so. Once college is over, then they go out into the world, and they do their jobs. They live their lives. And you were a big part of that.

Plus, these puppies will never want an advance on their allowance, will never ask to borrow the car, and will never tell you that they are just too busy to clean their rooms.

Facebook

I now have a Facebook, just like all the other cool old ladies.

Actually, the best part is that I put all of these really old pictures on it, and the nieces and children are having a wonderful time seeing old pictures of each other, and seeing stupid pictures of me.

Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=573725624

The HGTV Dream Home

Well, we didn't win it.

And the show was one of the most painful hours of television in history. It was like this surreal gameshow from a bad dream.

I didn't clean, and I didn't stay dressed (according to the blog on HGTV, most of the other people watching did); but the heat pumps kept kicking on and I was thinking "maybe they are outside!" I was texting back and forth with Diane during this whole fiasco, and we were both disgusted.

When the winner was finally revealed (after the hyper hostess just walked into her house where they were having a birthday party), the woman was very strange, not happy, just scratching her head. I wonder if she was drunk or had taken a handful of muscle relaxers because she was nervous......such a strange reaction.

But the best part was reading the pages and pages of reactions on the HGTV blog....people are saying that they should take back the house because she was unappreciative, that HGTV is racist because only white people who already have homes and money are the only winners, that it is all a setup because the winner knows who they are before the show. My favorite comment was that someone said that the woman thought she was on "Cheaters" and had gotten caught. Ha ha ha!

Well, as Diane said, Katie and Wanda didn't want to live in Florida anyway. And Richard is too fair to live in the Keys full time anyway.

Damn, it would have been cool. We probably would have kept it for a little bit, and then sold it when the market improved. Had a hell of a family vacation for a little bit!

Yet Another Dog Joke

One Smart Dog

Four men were bragging about how smart their dogs are.

The first man was an engineer, the second was an accountant, the third a chemist, and the fourth was a government worker.

To show off, the engineer called to his dog. "T-Square, do your stuff." T-Square trotted over to the desk, took out some paper and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart.

But the accountant said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff." Spreadsheet went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into four equal piles of three cookies each. Everyone agreed that was good.

But the chemist said his dog could do better. He called his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff." Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces without spilling a drop! Everyone agreed that was good.

Then the three men turned to the government worker, and said, "What can your dog do?"

The government worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, "do your stuff." Coffee Break slowly got on his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, crapped on the paper, sexually assaulted the other three dogs, claimed he injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for workers' compensation, and went home for the rest of the day on sick leave.

Another Dog Joke

Dog Joke

Here's a good dog joke:

A butcher in his shop, and he's real busy, and he notices a dog in the shop. He shoos him away. But later, he notices the dog is back again. So he goes over to the dog, and notices he has a note in his mouth. He takes the note, and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well." The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten pound note there. So he takes the money, and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is well impressed, and since it's close to closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog. So off he goes.

The dog is walking down the street, when he comes to a level crossing. The dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and he walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way. The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe at this stage. The dog checks out the times, and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The dog walks around the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat. Another bus comes. Again the dog goes and looks at the number, notices it's the right bus, and climbs on. The butcher, by now open-mouthed, follows him onto the bus.

The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up, and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on 2 back paws and pushes the button to stop the bus. Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth.

Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the dog turns into a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step. Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself -Whap!- against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door and -Whap!- throws himself against it again. There's no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden. He gets to the window, and beats his head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts laying into the dog. Yelling and swearing at him. The butcher runs up, and stops the guy. "What the heck are you doing? That dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for heaven's sake!", to which the guy responds,

"Clever, my foot! This is the second time this week that he's forgotten his key."

Puppy Training Class One

Well, last Wednesday finally passed, and seven o'clock came, and I got to go to my first class. Wow, this is going to be hard. But I'm still as excited as I was before...even more. Barbara and Randy were nice to have it at their home in Milton, DE. It's about an hour and fifteen minute drive from home. Pat, the regional director, was there. She's going to teach us how to do this!

The first hour we watched a short video, and heard about "do's" and "don'ts". Know what some of the "don'ts" are?

• Don't ever give the dog any human food. Never. Ever.
  
• Don't ever let the dog up on furniture.
• In the car, the dog must ride on the passenger side floorboard.
  
• A male dog must never be allowed to learn to lift his leg.
  

That was just a few of the things that we're going to be learning how to (and how not to) do. How do you teach a dog not to lift it's leg? I always thought it was instinctual, but Pat (the trainer) said no, it's a learned behavior.

I hope we get a female. Then we only have to deal with two heat cycles per year.

After the first hour, we did a few training exercises. The first one was funny. I was the trainer, and another man was the dog. I was shown the thing that I had to get him to do (it was shake his head from side to side); the trick was that all I could say was the word "Yes" and give him kibble (hard candies, in this instance).

This was so hard. I was glad that I really wasn't any worse than anybody else. We all laughed really hard though, because the "dogs" would be doing these silly things that they thought were what we wanted. You would wait until they did something similar to what you really wanted, and reward them. Then they would do it again. Again, you would reward them. They would then do it a third time. You don't reward them. Then they know that they have to keep trying.

Pat and Barbara said you will see this on the dog's faces...they think they think they think...they've got it!

Then they brought in the dogs. There was Kramer, who was the puppy I met at the first meeting (he's with Barbara and Randy). Then there was Lamont, who is a ten year old retired guide dog, and such a sweetie. Then there were three other dogs, all over a year old, one of them getting ready to go to "college". I got to work with Lamont.

This is Lamont. He's brilliant.

We played "touch". You get the dog's attention, hold up your hand, palm out, and say "touch". The dog touches his nose to your hand. As he does it, you say Yes, and then reward him.

No matter where you put your hand, he will find it and he will touch it with his nose. Imagine! I was so so so impressed. And all of this for a piece of plain kibble. Roxanne would have only done it for a healthy slice of lasagna.

I'm looking forward to next Wednesday; Max will be coming with me, and possibly Richard. Maybe maggie too, if she's not working. We'll see.

We'll be getting a home visit, and a trial puppy for about three days. Can't wait.

I think that the puppy is going to have a way easier time then me, Richard, Maggie and Max. We currently treat dogs like humans. We're going to have to learn to treat them like dogs. It's going to be hard!

It's What's For Dinner

Frankfurter Spectacular.
From the 1970's Weight Watchers Cooking Cards.
Yum.

How Can This Not Make You Laugh

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Happy St. Paddy's Day

For our Irish Holiday, I give you my husband and my sister's-in-law......

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I love Richard's face, and the way he leaps off the stage.....

Brett Favre

It is truly a sad day, both here in Salisbury, and in Green Bay.

It just won't be the same.

My Favorite Joke

A guy sees an ad for a talking dog for sale, $20.

He goes to the address wondering why someone would be selling a talking dog.

He gets to the house and knocks on the door and a man answers the door. He asks if he came about the ad for the talking dog and the other man says --"Yes, I did."

The man says the dog is in the back room watching television.

The guy who had read the ad headed to the back room and sees a dog lying on a bed watching TV. The dog looks at him and says "Hello".

The guy is amazed that this dog can talk so he asks the dog to tell him about itself.

The dog tells him that he was the only talking dog in his litter and that he had been adopted by a family and stayed with them for awhile then when the World Trade Center was destroyed, he volunteered to search for survivors. A few years after that, he went down south to help look for survivors after Hurricane Katrina. Then he went on to tell how he went to college to study medicine and found a cure for cancer and won the Nobel Prize and then went on a lecture tour.
When the US went to war with Iraq, he went there to hunt terrorists and had personally sniffed out where Saddam Hussein was hiding.

He said he felt like he had done enough and had decided to retire.

The guy goes back out to the man who had placed the ad--"Why are you selling this talking dog so cheap? You could make millions off a talking dog like this!"
The other guy said "Yeah, I know."
"So why are you selling him then?"
The man says--"Because he is a big liar."

Employee of the Week

This is my very favorite calling-in-sick trick of all time.

Washington State Detectives Say Man Asked Friend to Shoot Him in the Arm So He Could Skip Work

Sat Mar 1, 7:35 AM ET

PASCO, Wash. - What happened to faking a cough?

Sheriff's detectives in Franklin County, Washington, say a man had his friend shoot him in the shoulder so he wouldn't have to go to work.

When he first spoke with deputies, Daniel Kuch told them he'd been the victim of a drive-by shooting while he was jogging Thursday. But detectives say Kuch later acknowledged that he asked a friend to shoot him so he could get some time off work and avoid a drug test.

The friend has been arrested for investigation of reckless endangerment. Kuch is expected to be charged with false reporting.

Detectives aren't saying where Kuch works or whether he still has a job.

Brilliant.

The Oscars and Gitmo

I just saw this now, and, it being something from the left coast, shouldn't surprise me, but it did.

The hot fashion accessory [at Sunday's Oscar ceremony] was apparently orange ribbons and bracelets in solidarity with terrorist suspects in Guantanamo:

Out on the red carpet, Paul Haggis (the director whose "Crash" won Best Picture in 2006) said he didn't know what accounts for all these deeply dark, brooding, troubled films. But isn't it obvious, he asked, flashing an orange ribbon on his lapel. Orange, why orange? "It's Guantanamo," his Max Azria-clad wife, Deborah, said, showing off her orange bracelet, which read: "Silence + torture = complicity." Suddenly, we noticed -- orange ribbons and bracelets everywhere.

You'd have to guess there weren't too many "24″ fans in that gathering.**

If I had the opportunity to cruise the red carpet, this is what I would have worn in answer to his orange ribbon.

If someone had asked me, I would have told them that it meant

"Terrorists+Americans With Their Heads Up Their Asses+UN+Peace Talks = Dead Americans"
Atlas Shrugs has photographs.

**From Wizbang

(P.S. I really have this hat.)

Ride it Like You Stole It

Snork Snork.

(AP) A man led police on a very slow-speed chase, refusing to stop while riding a lawn mower at about 3 mph across a busy street and steering it toward an officer before he was grabbed and arrested, a police report says. Now, authorities say, the question is whether Stephen Ray Castor, 53, already under investigation in the breaking of a window of a man's house and the episode with the officer, can also be charged with drunken driving. State law is silent on whether riding mowers are covered by the law against driving under the influence. Castor remained in the Clark County Jail with bail set at $40,000 pending a court appearance Friday. Police said the chase began late Monday afternoon after Jason Taylor reported that Castor _ a stranger to him _ cursed at him, rode the mower through his fence gate and smashed a window with a lawn chair. Castor drove the mower across a boulevard and down a city street, the police report said. Officer Gregory J. Hibbard got out of his patrol car and told Castor to stop, then had to sidestep to avoid being hit, the report said. Shortly afterward, several officers pulled Castor off the mower and arrested him.

Puppy Training

Puppy Training begins next Wednesday, March 5th. I'm so excited, but rather nervous.

I'm also hoping the arrival of spring comes with the puppy. It's so cold out. 24 degrees right now.

More later. Must have caffeine.

Annie's in Kent Island and Less the Assbag

We had to go and pick up Richard's tool boxes at BWI today; I went along to drive and to keep him company. We don't get that much time together, so a few hours together any way we can get it is good...plus he tempted me with a "Maybe we can stop and have lunch at that place that you and Diane went to......

I was in the car in seconds.

They have the most wonderful Cream of Crab soup in the world. The restaurant itself reminds me of the old places I used to go with my parents and grandparents in Bay Shore. It's probably good that we don't live closer. It's not cheap. Steak prices are about at the Peter Luger's rate...but are probably worth it. I'm thinking it may be an anniversary place, with an overnight stay. Lots of little bars around it too, that would probably be a blast. Not sure about prices in the summer; we'll have to do a little investigating.

Maggie and Roger came over with Moose for a little while. Mookie was extremely happy. Moose is growing by the day.

Maggie is having trouble with Less at work. He's such a damn bitchy diva assbag. I'm thinking of going into Best Buy, and going up to him, and loudly saying "Hi Less. Sorry about your penis".

May need to have a drink first. But it would be fun.

How Maggie kept from spitting on him all day is amazing. She has such self-control.

But I have faith. Karma always gets the ones it needs to get.

Richard

There is no substitute for the comfort supplied by the utterly taken-for granted relationship. ~Iris Murdoch

I have the best husband in the world. I so take him for granted.

Desiree and Ruth

This will make you cry. Have a cup of coffee and watch.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind Puppy

Ok, well, so I haven't been keeping my new years resolution to write in this thing a few times a week. Sorry. The not swearing thing has been going better though :)

Well, tonight I went on my first super secret mission....let me tell you how this started. Last week, I was perusing the paper, and lo and behold, there was a small article looking for volunteer puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I looked at Richard, he said "sure!" I thought about it really hard for about thirteen seconds and then was upstairs at the computer, firing away the email, filling out the application, fact-gathering on google.

Here's the deal: you have the puppy for 14 to 16 months, during which time you teach it to have wonderful house manners, and slowly expose it to different environments, different situations. At 14 to 16 months, the dog goes to Yorktown Heights, NY, where he undergoes further training. He's matched with a person needing a dog, or, if he's not suited, he can go into a career with ATF or Homeland Security.

Hard? I bet. Heartbreaking? Probably. But wow, what a great opportunity to be part of something so huge, so wonderful. You are helping to create something that will give another person freedom.

Max asked me "Mom, why do you always do things that are hard?" I told him because it builds character.

But I think that it's not only that.

I've been given second and third and fourth chances in this life. Screwed up monumentally many times, mostly by my own bad choices. I did have to work hard to get to where I am now. But I have had hands reaching for me to help pull me up in this life. I've had hands below me, giving me a boost when I needed one.

Paying it back...paying it forward.

Plus, it's a puppy. It's a puppy.

God willing, and I complete all the required pre-training classes (beginning in the beginning of March), we'll have a new member of the family here the first week of April.

I'm so excited, I feel like an expectant mother....or grandmother!

I know that everyone will think that this is a crazy thing to do. That's probably why I haven't told anybody yet.

But it's not crazy.

I'm sure that when this 14 months is over, and I'm getting ready to hand over this dog that I love, I'll think that everyone was right. I'm going to cry. A lot. I'll think that this was crazy and I don't want to give him up. But I will.

The thought of a dog that was part of us graduating to be a guide dog....wow. I can't wait to see how that feels.