Normally we meet up during lunchtime at a nearby reservoir where the dogs can run free.  Typically the Vizsla runs up and down, back and forth while my Yellow Lab motors along trying to avoid the sneak attacks by the Vizsla.  This usually results in my dog ending up in the water, regardless of the temperature.  Recently, due to me being under the weather, my friend and her dog have been coming over to my house to have a puppy playdate in the backyard.  Now, I don’t know if it is because my dog is on her “home turf” or what, but she turns into a much more interactive dog.

Here is a summary of typical backyard playdate: Upon arrival, the Vizsla makes a few rounds of the backyard, warming up for the “games”.  Then my dog comes out and they engage in a friendly race around the yard.  Then if one of them finds a toy or stick, it becomes a game of keep away with one in possession of the toy taunting the other.  Occasionally the chaser gets the toy away or they end up in a bout of tug-o-war.  They  then compete in what I can only compare to the extreme fighting shows  I have seen on T.V.  This it not just wrestling, but also includes punching, kicking, biting, take downs, and frequent body slams. At some point, they take a water or potty break, but then resume the chase until they end up rolling around in the dirt again.  I do find it interesting that whenever they begin wrestling they are in the dirt as opposed to the grasss so they get quite dirty rolling around.  I guess it is a dog’s life  to have so much fun and get dirty without having to take a bath each night!

Below are a few pictures from today’s playdate that were caught on film.  So far, no blood has been drawn, but I think that may only be a matter of time! Click on any image to go to the gallery, and if you want to see some of the funny faces, you can click the picture to get the HUGE shot!

Being from the area I did not try to cram too much in, but I was blessed with BEAUTIFUL weather!  It was mid 80s to low 90s the whole time!  We spent a day at the zoo which is one that I will actually go to because the animals have a bit more room than many zoos!  Usually the animals are all hiding to keep cool in the middle of the day, but we got to see a number of them active as well as a few babies making appearances!

The first was the 15 mo old Panda cub who at first was quite active and bugging her mama, but when we came back later she was zonked out on her little hammock.

The next was the New Guinea singing dog pup – I guess the mama just had 4 pups, but she was back in her “cave” w/ three of the pups while dad kept watch over the wandering mischief maker!  He was so cute!!!

There was also a baby giraffe who was hanging out with her family.  We got a great shot of them having a “family” dinner.  Do families even DO that anymore?!

We then got to see a baby gorilla.  This baby was in the arms of a keeper – we aren’t sure exactly the circumstances, but we did get a decent look at it as well.

Finally, we got to see a joey who apparently just recently started making an appearance at the koala exhibit.  VERY cute to see him cuddling with his mama, but also getting the adoration of visitors.

The next day, we spent the afternoon at the beach in Coronado.  We wandered around the Hotel Del Coronado (didn’t see any ghosts though there reportedly are several) while the kids built a sand lighthouse complete with moat (do lighthouses need moats? – I didn’t argue with the builders… it came out nicely!).

When going back to the car to get dry, we came across a grotesque spider that was so intriguing we took about 8 gazillion pictures of it.  By the time we were done, it was nearly sunset so we went back to the beach to enjoy the view.

Funniest thing was that just after the sun sunk into the horizon, a cruise ship blocked the view! Thankfully there was still great color.  I am always amazed at the color of the water at sunset… This white/blue color while most of the time it is a dark blue/grey color.

The only hard part was trying to adjust to the time change for such a short period.  Oh, and coming back to Massachusetts and the sub freezing temps!  That’s been pretty rough!

Once I get the pictures reviewed and re-sized, I’ll put a few up so you can get a gander at the babies we did catch on film as well as some great beach/hotel del shots!

It is not surprising that he turned out to be a “Rotund Feline” as one of my friend’s husband referred to him.  He would gobble up the food and move on to the other cats’ food.  It was not uncommon for him to be found lying on his back like a big black seal his paws just hanging there with him fully asleep.

He would go through phases of first hating being outside (to the point of running from the door if anyone walked towards it) to doing anything he could to get out!  One winter we left for a weekend in the mountains w/ some friends and when we came back two days later, the poor guy was sitting on the deck meowing his head off w/ his ears bent from the cold.  We had no idea he snuck out when we left!  Needless to say, he got lots of warm cuddles, food, and treats!

I also have a fond memory of the evening I went downstairs to get something and turned on the kitchen light.  There perched on top of the refrigerator was Rorschach, one paw on the stove hood the other mid air w/ eyes as wide as can be and a look of “OH SHIT, THEY CAUGHT ME!” on his face.  He leaped down and ran from the room w/ this little mew that sounded like Dino from the Flinstones… MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME.  All the while he ran, his fat belly would wag back and forth. It was quite a site to see!

There was a time when we thought it was cute that he liked to drink out of the bathroom sink. He would hop up on the counter and sit there until someone came by and turned on the water.  This was cute until we realized that was the ONLY time he would drink and he would sit in there and meow until someone turned on the water.

Ah yes, and then there were the times when I was on a conference call for work, and he would sit there and meow, thinking I was talking to him!  He would walk around and just meow or sometimes howl (at first we thought something was wrong, but nope! – he’d just walk around and let everyone know he was there.)

Everyone who encountered him loved him.  He was a lot like a dog! When people came over, he would go up to them, rub against them and sit there.  We gave him the moniker – “dog in a cat suit”.  He would do the tricks of “sit up” and “high five”.  You could position him however you wanted while he sat in your lap, could lie him on his back and push him around the wood floors (like a dust mop), or you could pretend you were choking him and he would grab your hands and start biting and scuzzing.  A lot of fun!

Growing tulips and a Schmoo!

It was nearly a month ago that he started losing weight.  At first I was excited because it was not healthy for him to be 22 lbs especially since he was getting on in years (14 yrs).  However, when I noticed his sides had a little bulge, I was afraid he might be developing diabetes or kidney disease.  I took him to the vet and after shaving the poor guy’s belly, they did an ultrasound and found a tumor the size of a softball on his kidney.  I was told the tumor was not curable, but I could lengthen his life and give us more time to spend with him to say our goodbyes.  Since he didn’t seem to be in pain, we immediately started oral chemo.  He was on that for about 3 weeks and the tumor started to shrink, but then he started losing more weight, was getting more and more lethargic, and wasn’t really eating.  We made a last stab effort to strengthen him by giving him an appetite stimulant and spoon fed him.

I struggled with how to make the decision of continuing treatment vs. letting him go.  I knew I did not want him to suffer so decided that if his blood tests came back worse than they had earlier in the week, it was time to give him peace and allow ourselves to mourn him.  Last Saturday (Nov. 8, 2008), we said goodbye to our friend and treasure.  Many tears have been shed and our hearts are broken, but we know he is now running freely in the big catnip patch in the sky (and knowing how he responded to catnip, probably pretty loopy right now!).

Here are links to a few pictures of my loving schmoo:

Gimme a high five!Kickin’ It in Style!Keepin Warm!Would you PLEASE stop taking my picture!

I first heard the song “Goodbye My Friend” by Karla Bonoff on a Linda Ronstadt album a number of years ago. Fortunately I had not experienced a lot of death in my life, but I always thought that I would like to dedicate that song to someone one day – or that someone would dedicate it to me should I meet my maker.  Well, I think this is the perfect time to dedicate this song.  Recently I read the liner notes of Karla Bonoff’s  ‘Best of’ album, and learned this about the song:

“I have never publicly said what this song was about because I thought people would laugh, but I had a cat for 16 years who was the most amazing, wonderful cat, and had nine lives.  One time a dog bit through its lung and it survived, another time it had bad kidneys and pulled through.  That cat stayed inside because there were coyotes where I lived in Hollywood, but my girlfriend accidentally left the door open and he got out.  We never found him again – the coyotes apparently got him – and it was devastating.  Back then my mother was still alive, so I hadn’t truly experienced death before.  So I only wrote that song to help myself, and wasn’t planning for it to be anything anyone would ever hear.  I was just trying desperately to do something therapeutic, and I was sobbing so hard I could barely sing.  It’s amazing because it’s probably one of the best songs I’ve ever written.” - liner notes by Karla Bonoff from All My Life – The best of Karla Bonoff.

In my mind, this knowledge makes my dedication to my friend and family member all the more meaningful.

Here is a link to this amazing song along with the lyrics below

Good-bye My Friend

Oh, we never know where life will take us
We know it’s just a ride on the wheel
And we never know when death will shake us
And we wonder how it will feel

So Good-bye, my friend
I know I’ll never see you again
But the time together through all the years
Will take away these tears
It’s ok now
Good-bye, my friend

I’ve seen alot of things that made me crazy
And I guess I held on to you
I could have run away and left, well maybe,
But it wasn’t time and we both knew

So Good-bye, my friend
I know I’ll never see you again
But the love you gave me through all the years
Will take away my tears
I’m ok now
Good-bye, my friend

Life’s so fragile and love’s so pure
We can’t hold on but we try
We watch how quickly it disappears
And we’ll never know why
But I’m ok now
Good-bye, my friend
You can go now
Good-bye, my friend

I am just tickled for a number of reasons…

1. Bush will be GONE in a few months (well, that alone is reason enough, I may as well stop!)

2. Americans rose above past prejudices to elect the first black president. (wait, didn’t that happen on 24?)

3. The Dems have taken a few more seats in Congress, taking us closer to a filibuster majority!

4. There will be no more recorded phone calls/TV ads telling me to vote for a particular candidate

I am also hoping that Prop 8 in CA will NOT pass, but honestly, I don’t have the energy to stay awake and watch for updates to the points. I guess I will see tomorrow.

Oh, one more comment.  I was impressed by the speech writers, but even more impressed that the candidates were well spoken.  Then again, perhaps I was just used to the bumbling Bush who has spoken for the last 8 years.  I was moved by McCain’s concession speech and respect him as an American, even if I don’t agree w/ all of his views.  I appreciated Obama’s speech, and thought that the 106 year old GA woman story was touching.

It is a momentous time in our country, but the road ahead is filled w/ potholes and obstacles.  We now must turn our attention toward polishing the tarnished image and making America the country we know it can be and has been.

Congrats to President Elect Barack Obama!

Don’t get me wrong.  I love seeing the little kids come up to my house on Halloween w/ me in some silly mask or hat and the dog w/ her outfit on.  If it is a costume I don’t recognize, I ask the kids what they are and sometimes get quite surprising responses.  I still remember the little girl in a business suit w/ glasses and a briefcase saying  ”I am a professional woman.” I smirked thinking to myself, I wish I could get paid just for being a woman! (oh wait, I think that is illegal).  I especially admire the little girls who wear fairy/princess outfits (think Jasmine from Aladdin) when the temp is in low 40s! They INSIST on taking off the coats their parents require them to wear “AT LEAST until I get my candy!”

Now, the cute kids coming by my house for a few hours once a year isn’t the problem.  It is what those cute kids seek – HALLOWEEN CANDY! My problem is threefold: 1) Halloween provides the PERFECT excuse for me to buy candy.  2) Halloween candy comes in HUGE bags. 3) I have absolutely no will power (OK, maybe that is my first problem).

I used to be the “plan ahead” kind of person when it came to Halloween, buying a few bags of candy early in Oct. so I would have a stash for the big distribution day.  The problem was that those bags “disappeared” before Halloween and I’d have to dash out to buy more candy before the trick or treater’s came knocking.

Then I came up w/ the brilliant idea that I’d buy the candy, but I’d hide it.  You know, “outta site, outta mind”!  That worked fine until I realized that I was always searching for something in the very locations I hid the Halloween booty! Now wouldn’t you guess… by Halloween I’d be down a couple of bags of candy!

The last couple of years I got smart – “lead me not into temptation!”  I wouldn’t buy candy until a few days before Halloween.  At least this way my damage to the stash would be limited.  Ah, but no! It is amazing how a mind w/ no willpower will figure a way to enable you!  Sure, I wasn’t consuming gluttonous amounts of candy the weeks before Halloween… I was now doing it AFTER!  Instead of the 3-4 bags we would need to “cover” the trick or treater’s, I’d buy 6-7 bags – All the best!  Snickers, Reeses, Starbursts, Skittles… The list goes on and on! And WHOOPS! all the treater’s would come and I’d still be left w/ a big bowl of candy.

Still, I was determined… I decided I would buy stuff that I did not like as much and throw in just a couple of bags of the stuff I did like!  How did my subconscious betray me?! I’d hand out the candy, giving the kids the stuff I didn’t like as much and leaving my “favorites” in the bowl.

Well, this year, I SWORE I was going to find a way to avoid it.  I went to our local discount store and wandered around looking for the candy.  I didn’t see it at first and thought WOW, am I THAT late that it’s THIS picked over?

I then saw bags of pretzels and animal crackers in orange and black bags and a few bags of the “icky” candy.  My little angel popped up on my shoulder and said “God brought you this way to avoid temptation – buy the pretzels!” Then my eyes caught the labels of Snickers and Skittles down a few rows and my little devil popped up on my other shoulder and said “Come on, Halloween’s only one day a year!!!”

What do you think I did? Check it out!

I know, I know… anyone know the number for the Halloween candy support group?

We weren’t out for very long (45-60 mins), so this blog is really about showing off my dog.

Engaging in our typical routine, I asked the dog if she wanted to go swimming and she cocked her head in that… “did you say SWIMMING?!?!?!” fashion. I put her out on the deck while I was loading the boat and when I came to get her w/ the leash, she proceeded to jump around and bark her head off.

Off we went to the State park. As soon as we turned onto the main park road, she knew where we were and started her “serenade” – translation – plug your ears and hide the china -its LOUD and painful to listen to (esp. if she is RIGHT behind my seat). I think one day I am actually going to get a recording of it and send it to the National Weather Service. I think it may be a good severe weather siren.

After parking, I got the boat off the truck, put it down by the water and came back to get the dog “suited up“. Then we headed down to the water and I climbed into the boat and asked if she was ready to go! (snippet of video).

We go in short little spurts so she doesn’t get too tired out.  We headed out to the first little peninsula and let her take a rest, then paddled over to a little island for another rest and a sniff about (the geese like to rest here, so there are lots of interesting smells). After wandering around a bit on the shore and in the water, it started getting a little cold so the pup hitched a ride back to the boat launch (you can actually see the clouds coming in that shot). While I loaded up the boat on my handy hullavator, the dog got warm in the truck!

HOPEFULLY the weather will be a little better tomorrow (including a little rise in the temp) and I’ll get some more pictures and be able to stay out a bit longer.  We’ll see!

New Englanders know exactly what I am talking about.  Now, most places I have been to take the lobster, add mayo and either celery or scallions, and slap the concoction into a hot dog bun.  There are variations, and the best they serve just around the corner from my house.  This delicacy takes a sandwich roll, grills it just so it is a little toasted, puts a layer of lettuce, then stuffs the roll with just the sweet tender claw meat of the lobster.  It is then drizzled with warm butter and served with a caeser salad.  If it is done perfectly, the lettuce catches any of the “extra” butter so the bun doesn’t get soggy.  There is so much meat in this sucker that the lobster is falling out w/ every bite – which is great, because you essentially get a second helping!

As the dog sat salivating next to me, I took pause to admire it and take a picture for you.  I then began to eat it and the dog sat next to me, drool strings developing, growls of “GIVE ME SOME” murmuring.  SORRY DOG – THIS IS MINE!

If you have never heard of or never had a lobster roll, I recommend that you seek one out if you are anywhere near the New England/Nova Scotia area!  If you like it, try different places – many restaurants put their own twist on the sandwich.  If you want to make it perfect,  get an ice cold  Sam Adams beer to wash it down (which I can’t because it is a work day )

Feeling: Stuffed and ready for the weekend!

Listening to: Rock Lobster (B-52′s) and OK GO with some Donavon Frankenreiter thrown in

Like most walks, the woods would be quiet (other than the leaves we tromped through) but then occasionally, I would hear the sound again.  It was a weird whining/howling noise. It was certainly not human, but also no animal I had ever heard. Again, the woods were quiet and I continued the walk keeping an eye on the dog.  When I heard the noise again, and it sounded closer, I picked up a long stick, just in case it was an injured coyote or some other animal I didn’t want the dog near (like a deadwood stick would have done me any good! ).

As I continued on the walk, it got a bit darker and the sound was intermittent so my mind started imagining what it might be… Someone escaped from the mental institution down the road?  (gossip has it happening quite often)  Some crazed animal that would chase me ? (traumatic experience I’ll tell you about in some other blog entry) Some bored group of teenagers traversing the woods looking for unsuspecting walkers to torment? (more likely given the number of mailboxes that get smashed in our town).

I rounded a corner and saw movement up in the trees deeper in the woods (and of course darker so it was difficult to see from a distance).  The movement brought my mind back to reality and I decided it must be a duck or a goose that got “stuck” among the trees or was hurt and was having trouble flying out. I called the dog back and leashed her to be sure she didn’t run up and torture the poor bird.  I crept closer to get a better look and I saw the most HUMONGOUS owl I have ever seen.

Now, I have never seen an owl up close before, but he was only about 15 feet up in the tree so I’d say I was pretty close.  What a magnificent looking specimen! He was definitely a big boy because as I stepped closer to get a better look, he flew to a different branch as the one he was sitting on broke off and fell to the ground.  Being in awe of his beauty, I stood there for about 10 minutes just looking at him.  He screeched a few more times and kept his eyes on me.  I talked to him, which  I am SURE he understood (“what a pretty boy you are”, “are you hunting”, “how come I have never seen you here before”).  I then thought WHY oh WHY don’t I have a camera?!?!??!  Finally the dog came over looking at me like, “MAMA, Its a BIRD!!!! COME ON!”

There are three things I took away from my encounter

1 – An owl, whatever kind it was, is a truly magnificent looking animal;
2 – An owl makes a pretty hideous sounding screech/whining sound!
3 – It is amazing what your mind can conjure when you have a little bit of anxiety about a situation! (really, Anne – an escaped mental patient screeching/whining in the woods?!)

Next time I will try to muster the confidence and relate to you my encounter – no, let me rephrase that – my attack by a wild turkey during a lunch break walk one day.  Until then – love our feathered friends, WHOO-ever they may be

I’ll try to check in later, before the Red Sox wake

Feeling: Melancholy

Listening to: Carpenters, John Denver

OK, Sox business done!  As I mentioned in my previous blog, we were off to VT to pick apples today.  We drove up to Scott farm in Dummerston VT.  Scott Farm is located on a land trust where Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book (a jungle story written in New England – who’da thought?!).  Why drive all the way to VT to pick apples, you may ask?  Well, Zeke Goodband is the orchardist extraordinaire and has brought over 60 different varieties to Scott Farm creating an incredible array of heirloom apples.

We stopped there three weeks ago on a trip back from the Vermont Wine and Harvest festival, and Zeke did a tasting of sorts – giving us the history and a sample of over 10 apples.  We were conservative and bought only a half peck to bring home, enjoying most the French Reine des Reinette and Ananas Reinette, the English Pitmaston Pine Apple, and the Japanese Shizuka.  Check out the descriptions of some of their apples.  After eating those apples in about a week, we set off on a road trip to obtain MORE MORE MORE!

This time around, we stuck w/ the Shizuka, Pitmaston,  and Reine des Reinette, but also tried Ashmead’s Kernel and Hudson’s Golden Gem coming away with TWO PECKS!  So, it will be an apple fest in our household.   Important note, apples are best kept in the refrigerator!

Now, the best thing about road tripping in New England in the fall is the leaf peeping.  Unfortunately, when we were in VT three weeks ago it was quite foggy, so the views from our B&B were a bit obscured.  Today we saw some color, but most maples are quite bare or on their way to a state of “nakedness”.  We did stop just across the border of VT into NH and took some shots on the river.  This one had the water reflection rippled due to the dog jumping in the river JUST as I took the picture.  I think, however, we hit the jackpot a little further into NH.  I just about lost control of the car admiring the beauty of this gorgeous maple.  Here’s a closeup of it.   Even the leaves that had fallen were a great backdrop for pictures!  Here’s me, my pup, and an apple we got today.  And then of course, what I consider the best picture of the day, my beautiful lab!

OK, my next post will likely be a celebration of the Red Sox pulling off an incredible upset or a lamentation of the end of what was a great season (and looking forward to the Celtics since the poor Patriots are struggling without Brady).