Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all the babies!

State Inspector comes to call

Wow.  How unexpected....  Katie Parker, a state of Colorado Dept. of Agriculture Division of Animal Industry inspector just stopped by unannounced.  Someone reported my breeding animals and wanted the facility inspected.  

Katie was looking for more dogs, and unclean conditions.  Fortunately, I didn't even fall under the auspices of a "breeder", as you need to have 15 dogs on the premises over 4 months of age, or breed more than two litters a year.   I showed her the blog and the YouTube videos though, to appease her conscience.  She was satisfied with the way they're brought up.  Wonder if our feud with the neighbor brought this about.  Our dogs were eating the goat he left outdoors for a couple of days after the mountain lion killed it.  

On a happier note, Harry & Eddie just had a nice little playtime with Alice, who lives down our road.  I just love that little girl!  She's all legs and bright eyes and fun.

Update

Hugo, Ringo, Hank, Josie, Bobbi, and Alice are all doing great!!!!  So good to hear from everyone.  Sounds like Hugo and Hank are the largest who've reported in, with Hank banging the bell at 25 lbs a couple of days ago!  Josie was just 14 lbs a couple of weeks ago.  Alice and Bobbi played together, and Alice is bigger than Bobbi, but Bobbi's all legs with fur boots & a little beard.  Hank is getting accolades for being so sweet and mellow.

Saw Hank & Bobbi yesterday

Hope all the little ones are doing great!  Was lucky to run into Paula Mann at Chow Down yesterday.  Ellie was thrilled to see Hank, and I just forgot how darling that little boy was!  He's so huggable!

Rick delivered our mail to the door and brought Bobbi along (Maddie).  She's all leggy and sweet too!  So wonderful to see the babies after two weeks.

Salee posted the pics to the side on Facebook, and Hank's photo is Paula's picture on Facebook.  

Rocky update

Rocky (Walt) is doing great with his new lab sister Angel, as you can see in the photo.  He also has 2 beagle buddies, so lots of dinner bowls to clean!  

Sunny found her family

Such good luck!  Jody Olson, who got Ozzy (now Arlo) last week, came by yesterday morning to drop off the crate he'd borrowed.  He told Marie Gibson about Sunny, and she and Joe and their children came over immediately.  It was a very good fit.  Even little Claire was enthused, and Elliott and Sam found Sunny to be just right.  McKenzie agreed that this was the family for the little lab girl!

Can you believe I'm starting a list for next year's litter?  Yes!  Cathy O'Connor is first.  Tanya Buck is second.  The next litter will be, if all goes well and Ellie is leashed for every walk for two weeks, a Harry type litter with Beau as the sire.  Unless Marie and Cass at Linderlabradoodles decide to retire Beau.  Then Ellie will have to choose another mate.  But it WILL be a poodle or multi-gen labradoodle.

Sunny needs a home

Salee Jordan is having to return Sunny, because having 2 littermates is not working out.  They're bonding with each other, instead of with the family.  So, if anyone knows of a great home for Sunny, the sweetest girl who's a yellow lab with 1/4 poodle, please let me know.  She's available now, at 9 weeks old, and is coming back here to stay till she finds her new home.

Jury Summons

Yesterday I was called in for jury selection, but didn't get chosen.  So glad, because sitting in the assembly room, then the court room for 4 hours drove me crazy.  By the time they dismissed us, going outdoors felt like being released into freedom.  I honestly couldn't stand to be a judge and sit and listen to the questioning and sort of stupid rambling some people do.  

Ozzy Olson

Ozzy went home with Madeline Olson this afternoon.  Madeline is a freshman at Evergreen High School, and her parents are Jody & Stephanie.  It was sweet to see that Ozzy felt right with them.  He's a sensitive boy, and needed calm, considerate loving people.  This, I feel, is what he has found.  

My, the house is quiet!  I'm scrubbing floors today.  Then I'll put the oriental rugs back down, retrieve the dining room chairs from storage, and get ready for living with just adults again.  We miss the puppies already!  Maybe we won't spay Ellie....

P.S.  Dobby's new name is Josie.  That little girl is a pistol, according to Salee, and they didn't want her to be like the elfin character in Harry Potter for real.

Ozzy

Sweet Oz is the only puppy left.  He has a sensitive nature, is very smart & intuitive, and loves to play with the big dogs.  He's quite respectful of the older dogs, but really wants to be part of the group.  Not our group though!  We have too many already!!!

Ozzy's coat is gorgeous.  I cannot even pull a hair from it.  Whoever gets him may be pleasantly surprised that although he has a lot of lab characteristics, his coat seems to be quite low shed.  His beard, ear fringe and paw fringe are growing in beautifully.  I think he'll have waves in his coat as well.

Oz was 8 weeks yesterday.  He's going to be a large dog, since he's always been the heaviest in the litter.  I'd estimate his adult size to be around 80 pounds.

Little gorillas

The puppies who are left here, Ozzy, Ringo & Hank, are expanding their food horizons.  They're absolutely ravenous when it comes to bits of cooked chicken liver.  At breakfast they like a couple of bites of banana and apple.  And today they're gnawing on whole carrots.  The poodle part shines through again!

Maddie just drove off in the mail truck

Goodness!  What a day.  

Paula and Jim Mann decided on Hank this morning.  They have company coming in from out of town, so are waiting to take him next Sunday, the 11th.  

Salee, Jeff, Kathleen and Alex came by to bring Dobby and Sunny home this morning.  They've already had a field trip with them, so this will probably be an easy transition.

Anna Z. and her mom, Nancy, picked up Andy this morning.  Ellie gave him one last growl goodbye--after he asked for one last drink of milk.

Kim Maslanik picked up Rocky last night on her way to the pumpkin patch.  Hayley was sorry to see her little buddy go.

Steve Fowler just called from Petco.  He's on his way up to get Lady (Charlotte).  

Heather Ferry should be leaving a Chuckee Cheese birthday party any minute, and will head up here with her two sons to get Carly.

Phew!

Oh, yeah--Rick, our mail carrier (you met him, Maria), came by after finishing his route and decided to take Maddie.  He and Denise have always had labs, and have one waiting at home to be Maddie's sister.  

Busy weekend ahead

Charlotte's new name is Shady Lady, and she'll go by Lady.  Many puppies (8) are leaving from Friday thru Monday.  Goodness!  That'll change the place!!!

Poodle babies to the vet this a.m.

McKenzie's brushing the 4 little poodle babies.  Off to the vet for their shots this morning, then we're all done with vet visits.

Carly is sold

Heather Ferry and her family will be taking Carly home with them this weekend.  Hayden, her older son, is practicing puppy training with his stuffed animals.

Charlotte found her person

Steve Fowler is going to take Charlotte.  It's a very good match, as he'll be with her a lot, and likes to do outdoor water sports.  She's such a sweetheart.  She'll be cuddling on the couch with him too, I imagine.

That leaves just 3 puppies available, if Heather Ferry takes Carly.  Still left are:  Hank, Ozzy, and Maddie.  All are sweet and gentle.  You just never know who's going to go last!  It's amazing how they all get matched up so perfectly to their people.  

Supplies for new owners

You might want to get some red rosin paper from Home Depot...definitely a sack of Natural Balance Potato and Duck food (Chow Down or Petco).  If you switch over to something else, try to do it gradually.  Ear plugs are a terrific investment for the entire family.

Poodle type buyers, you'll eventually need a good brush.  The Chris Christenson 16 mm T-Brush at Cherrybrook.com is $24 but essential.  Also, get a men's comb for the burrs.

You'll be shopping for a collar and leash.  But keep the puppies AWAY from other dogs in the shops and parks for awhile.  If they come into contact with a shelter dog, they could catch kennel cough.  Also, they'll irritate strange dogs by trying to climb on their backs--and that's asking for trouble.  I know, it happened at a soccer game with the kids once.  Try to just let them visit with dogs whom you know and trust for awhile.  Dogs with a lot of patience!

Most of the puppies are going to their homes this coming weekend.  We still have 4 left.  

Carly on hold

McKenzie's teacher, Heather Ferry, came over this afternoon.  She surprised McKenzie by offering to drive her home!  Carly chose Ms. Ferry.  Ms Ferry is going to absolutely make up her mind, but we're holding the sleek little black girl for her.  She'll join another black lab mix at the Ferry's house, as well as becoming the buddy of two boys, one six, one four.

Walt's sold

Walt--newly named Rocky, is going to be part of Kim & Ron Maslanik's family.  Kim does fly ball and dock dogs with her other lab, Angel, and hopes to bring Rocky along in those too.

Yellows & Blacks have their shots

The yellow puppies had their shots on Saturday, and the black group went in this morning.  All were very good babies.  The largest is still Ozzy at 12.8 lbs (at 6 weeks).  So far the smallest is Maddie, at 7.4.  The 4 poodle babies will go in for their shots on Thursday morning.  

Andy (Leo) had a field trip on Saturday with Anna, and met his sister to be, another lab.  Dobby (Eloise) and Sunny enjoyed going off with Salee, Jeff, Alex and Kathleen for the afternoon on Sunday.  Ringo's parents, Aron & Narissa, came up to see him Sunday afternoon...last time till they take him in 2 weeks.  And the Camps--Maria, Al & Luke came by twice over the weekend to see Hugo.  One time they hiked over from their house!

P.S.  Only two puddles in the house yesterday!!!  Love this weather.

All the pups are outdoors with the front door open for them to come inside now.  At the moment, Walt is hanging around the kitchen in hopes of finding a scrap.  He loves food with a passion.  Ringo's sacked out on the puppy blankets because he was outside playing with Harry while the frost was still crisp on the grass.

Early this morning

The puppies were up early this morning.  Ordinarily, I would have plugged my ears and slept.  But Geoff just got back from a trip to Houston, and we went out with neighbors last night for dinner...so, my conscience got me up at 4:20 a.m.  Yawn.  

I put on my big bear fur coat, turned on the fireplace, and after feeding, clean up, and standing outside on fox guard and star gazing, cuddled up on the couch with Charlotte.  She fell sound asleep with her head on my shoulder.

Doodle Beards

Not only does Andy (leo) have the Doodle beard starting, so do Ozzy, Hank and Maddie!  Wow!  The Poodle part is coming out!!!!  Of course, the obvious poodle pups have one too.  I'm just so surprised at ones I thought looked just like labs.  This is very neat.

Leo/Andy

Leo's new name is Andy, and I just noticed that he has the beginnings of a Doodle beard!!!!  Come by and check it out, Anna.  It's unlike anything I've ever seen on a regular lab.

Walt's available again, Sunny's going with Salee

A little revision on availability.  Salee, Jeff, Alex and Kathleen decided to take Sunny instead of Walt.  

Also, a new video from the snow has been added.  Look below a few photos on the left to find the video bar.  Click on the one of the puppies sacked out indoors.

6 Left--Walt's taken

We've got all the black doggies, 2 of the yellows, and that's it--left.  

Also, if anyone hasn't seen the latest video, check out the video bar to the left.  Top one is the latest.  Thought I had a link loaded on Tuesday, but didn't get it till today.

Charlotte:  Black, large girl (but much thinner since worming).  She's the most laid back girl, who can venture out on her own without qualms.  Never ruffled or perturbed.  Very sweet and affectionate.  Wags her tail at the slightest encouragement.  I'd keep her if I could.  Just a chubs to hold.

Carly:  Medium sized black girl, definitely adventurous, wants to jump all the babies.  Pounce!  Tigger style.  Bold, sweet, and playful.

Maddie:  Medium sized black girl who is the sweetest thing.  She just comes right over and loves you.  Can't tell you how gentle and nice this girl is.  Just adorable.  Never complains, and is smart as can be.

Ozzy:  BIG black boy who reminds you of the hefty guy in class.  Funny, so cute, and roly poly to hold.  Does do the Tigger thing, jumping the others, but is just too sweet too.

Hank:  Yellow boy with a mustache.  A bit darker than the other yellows.  Less sheddy too.  Absolutely darling in that he can baroooooo (see video), and play games with kids.  McKenzie finds him remarkable--how can a baby know how to fake sleep then leap at her?  He is adorable.

Sunny:  This yellow girl has a sunny personality.  She's very sweet and rambunctious and light hearted.  Darling, medium sized, never starts a fight, good with the other babies, and a coat like a mink stole (only light colored).

 

Worming Helped

The puppies lost their pot bellies!  Worming really did the trick.  Now they look like sleek designer puppies.

My Doodle puppy sign fell off the tree over at 3 Sisters.  Saw it this morning after dropping McKenzie at the HS bus pick up.  Thank goodness only EDS and one other car saw me dash out in my snowman pajamas to get it.

Outdoors & Vet

The babies have gone outside two days in a row, and are now comfortable with it.  Hugo put up the biggest protest.  He finally got comfy under a cabbage.

Everybody was weighed and wormed this morning at Dr. Fogg's.  Here's how the weights came out:

Eloise  4.8 lbs

Ringo  5.7 lbs

Alice  5.7 lbs

Carly  5.9 lbs

Maddie:  6.0 lbs

Hank  6.9 lbs

Charlotte  6.9 lbs

Sunny  7.0 lbs

Walt  7.1 lbs

Hugo  7.1 lbs

Leo  7.6 lbs

Ozzy  8.2 lbs

Ozzy is 3.4 lbs bigger than Eloise!

At 3 Weeks Old

Dobby (Eloise):  Reserved for Salee, Jeff, Alex & Kathleen Wilhite.  Chocolate girl who loves people and is very alert, smart, composed yet playful.  Loves to snuggle.

Ringo (Monk):  Reserved for Aron Parisi & Narissa Stahl. Dark chocolate boy, poodle coat, very smart, quiet, playful, composed & sweet.

Sunny:  lightest yellow lab coat, sunny loving nature, coat is a gorgeous mink texture

Walt:  Reserved for Salee, Jeff, Alex & Kathleen Wilhite.  white combo coat (poodle + lab);  polar bear look, loves people, playful, likes to sleep on his back

Charlotte:  black lab coat;  largest mellow girl, very sweet & playful, adorable & soft

Alice:  Reserved for Kathleen & John Davis.  Creme poodle coat, very thick & wooly;  very smart, inquisitive, loves her favorite people

Hank:  darker yellow lab coat; a boy's boy--playful, likes toys, sturdy, good looking

Hugo:  Reserved for Maria, Al & Luke Camp.  Apricot poodle coat; very smart, playful, inquisitive, outgoing, affectionate

Maddie:  black lab coat;  super sweet, affectionate girl, just adores people, gentle in mouthing, playful

Carly:  black lab coat;  very affectionate cuddler, outgoing, playful, soft coat, lovely head

Ozzy:  black lab coat;  strong, big paws, large head, affectionate, boisterous, funny 

Leo:  Reserved for Anna Zuniga.  Yellow lab coat;  largest puppy at birth, quiet, calm & sure of himself, affectionate

Babies are Good

Ellie's backing off on feeding a little.  But she got shut out of the house when she took a siesta under the kitchen window and Hayley left today.  She was absolutely bursting with milk and in dire need to get to her pups when I got home a couple of hours later. 

The little guys are lapping up formula + rice cereal like crazy.  Then they sleep for a couple of hours--make that 3.  It is so quiet around here!

Maria Camp and her son Luke stopped by this afternoon.  Maria brought up the fact that there are so many considerations with this litter.  You've got 

1. type--poodle or lab

2. male or female

3. color

4.  size

5.  most important of all--PERSONALITY!

Full Tummies & Long Naps

Thank goodness for Espilac & 2nd Step.  No more whiney babies!  With the exception of Leo & Charlotte, all the lab babies put up a hunger strike for the first couple of days when it came to eating out of a pan.  This morning EVERYBODY ate formula mixed with rice cereal.  Walt is no longer mr crybaby.  Hank is finally satisfied.  There is peace in the house at last.

They also moved into the dining room pen yesterday.  A cause for yelping & complaining all afternoon, but now they treat it like home.  The puppy rugs are staying clean, and they're going on newspaper.  They're crawling behind the open crate, and inside of it, for some dark hiding places.  And they're playing too!  Just the teensy beginnings of play, but definitely pouncing and grabbing.  

 

Starting to Play

This evening I saw the first playful interaction between the pups.  A few tried the supplement formula + rice.  The ones who were really good at eating were Leo & Charlotte.  Hank fell asleep with his chin in the pan.

14 Days Sweet

At 14 days, the puppies are sweet to cuddle & just opening their eyes.  McKenzie and I keep wandering by the whelping box, and plopping in to be with them.  Soon, we won't fit!  Here they are, but this is just my take on them.  Their personalities will become more evident as they get older.

Eloise:  first born, smallest, chocolate w/white spot & poodle coat; quiet & composed girl

Monk:  2nd born, small chocolate w/poodle coat;  composed & quiet

Sunny:  3rd born, lightest yellow/lab coat;  loves to be held, quiet & gentle girl

Walt:  4th born, white combo coat (poodle+lab evenly);  polar bear look, wants to be held or touching you

Charlotte:  5th born, black/lab coat;  sweet & mellow, largest girl

Alice:  6th born, creme/poodle coat;  most active, inquisitive girl, seeks out people

Hank:  7th born, darker yellow/lab coat;  mellow, gentle boy, loves to be by you

Hugo:  8th born, apricot/poodle coat;  quiet, large boy,  seeks people

Maddie:  9th born, black/lab coat;  sweet, smaller girl loves to be petted

Carly:  10th born, black/lab coat;  very loving, smaller girl seeks people to cuddle by

Ozzy:  11th born, black/lab coat;  very strong, large headed, big pawed fellow, may complain till you hold him or he lies on your foot

Leo:  12th born, yellow/lab coat;  largest puppy since birth, quiet, sure of himself

  

Big Babies

The puppies are growing like weeds.  Ellie had a grilled steak on Friday to celebrate getting through the first week with a dozen.  Here's what Ellie's eating today:

a.m.: 1/2 doz. fried eggs w/3 pieces of buttered toast

noon:  one roasted chicken with stuffing

2 pm:  large bowl of vanilla ice cream

evening:  carton of chicken livers, boiled, with buttered bread

snack:  dog food bowl of Beneful Puppy Food

midnight:  4 inches of Turkey roll & ice cream

She also enjoys salmon, trout, beef stew, hamburger, and chicken thighs.  Walmart's out of turkeys, but she loves those too, with a simple stuffing of plain wheat bread.  

3 Days Old

Everybody's doing fine here.  Ellie's an experienced and devoted mom.  

Here's the group:   

4 black (lab types)

3 yellow (lab types)

2 creme (poodle types)

1 white (even blend in appearance, poodle dad)

2 chocolate (poodle types)

This is a dual-sired F1B litter.  Some puppies take after Beau, the poodle dad, and others take after Drake, the lab dad.  Ellie is a first cross labradoodle (1/2 poodle, 1/2 lab).  That means that seven of these puppies are 3/4 lab.  Five are 3/4 poodle.

Ellie & Beau were health checked.  

Ellie:   

hips OFA "good"

eyes CERF "normal"

 

Beau: 

hips OFA "excellent"

eyes CERF "normal"

Beau's breeder is http://linderlabradoodles.com

Drake's breeder is http://www.deerinwaterfarms.com

Ellie's breeder is http://1-labradoodle-breeder.com

For pricing and wait list info, please call me:  Jill Ridder  303-670-9468  Thanks!  

Today?

She's getting that far-away look in her eyes this morning, after a restless night of panting and midnight strolls on the leash.  It could very well be today.  

Tomorrow

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, it could be tomorrow," sung to the tune of Annie.  Of course we'd blocked off Thursday and Friday and Saturday--then I miscounted.  So tomorrow we have middle school registration, dog agility, and Harry's birthday.  Which means if the puppies ARE born tomorrow, they'll be born the EXACT SAME day as last year's litter.  

Puppies Are Moving

The puppies are kicking, and Ellie's stomach is getting so big she looks like a poor mama Eeyore.  As soon as these puppies drop out, she'll be a whole new girl!  Well...when they're done nursing, anyway.  We can't wait for them to arrive.  McKenzie's just wandering around wishing they'd come TODAY.  We've picked out puppy names and are on our way to Walgreens in a couple of minutes to get the emergency supplies.  Just in case Ellie doesn't cut the cord or something.  She didn't have a single problem last time.  Just kind of ran out of room in the whelping box.  We'll spread out blankets over the floor so that if that happens again, there will be a soft landing.

Ok--off to get some unwaxed dental floss, iodine, and a suction bulb.   

Ellie's Belly Ready to POP

And over 2 weeks to go!  Oh my goodness.  Hang in there sweet girl!

Woody leads us out of the woods

Ok, this blog will soon turn into a post ALL ABOUT PUPPIES.  But for now, while Ellie's belly is growing an inch a day, I'll tell you about our hike.  

Went into the National Forest, via the back acreage.  Took all 5 dogs, and we just followed some trails.  Non are marked there, so it's wise to keep your bearings.  My reference point is Elephant Butte, and now that I've been over in that area tramping around, I've found I can usually see it unless I'm deep in a gully.

We walked a jeep trail that was new to us, and I think it led over to Golden Willow.  There was a dirt road w/houses....  Turned back and took another trail.  But it cut off in the wilderness.  Followed Woody, who has proven to have an unerring sense of direction.  After climbing a pretty steep, rocky slope, over a lot of fallen trees, we got to our old path thru Aubrey Huff's land.  Whew!  Glad to head home after all that.

Harry's Not So Hairy

Harry's hair is going the way of a Barbie doll's.  A few snips here, a few snips there.  Ooops, have to even that up....  G just commented on the puddle he leaves after drinking.  May have to shave the beard next.  We're talking Harry here, not Geoff.  G whittled his down to a goatee and it took us all two weeks to notice!  He felt very ignored.  Now, I ask you, how can you just keep it all to yourself like that?  I would have let the cat out of the bag after a day.  Two weeks?  Imposs-eee-bla!

Aspen & a Doodle Romp

We think Ellie is probably pregnant, after breeding with Beau (Linderlabradoodle's Parti-Poodle Stud) & with Drake (white lab, very squared-off build, and easy-going temperament).  This will be a dual-sired litter.

All of us went to Aspen about three weeks ago and brought 3 dogs.  Harry woofed out the hotel window at the cars and people.  He's not used to town life, but he adjusted quickly.  Everybody enjoyed the food and walks.  It was a ghost town that time of year, but all the more relaxing because of it.  

It was great to see some of the puppies at 10 months old.  They're all so good natured and happy!

Goats in the Barn

Last night, admittedly tipsy, G & I came home from Tuscany's to surprise a couple of goats in the barn.  

Poor Harry, he'd never been in a thunderstorm or seen umbrellas pop open.  Now he'll think that is just a precedent to even scarier stuff.  We walked the dogs in the pouring rain just to the barn to let the horses in.  

G walked into Teddy's stall, "Oh my god, what is this..." 

A large black animal streaked from barn light into the darkness.  The dogs went after it.  A smaller black thing ran to G bleating.  

"They're goats!  Stop the dogs!"

I grabbed for them, missed, and chased them around the barn.  They raced back in, hot on the trail of the larger goat.  G jumped on two dogs, falling to the ground with them.  He stuck them in the tack room, then while I was outside calling, he got Woody in there too.  Poor Harry was skittering here and there, afraid to be caught and unnerved by the commotion.  He'd never seen a goat either.  Eddie kept his tail up and dashed around, terrier alert and ready for action.

G tried to get the goats to come back, but they'd taken off into the pasture.  The horses were a galloping mental mess, so he couldn't get them into the stalls (since Hayley was working at Mimi's and would get home late).  So we gave up, and I let the dogs out of the tack room.  Toby took off into the pasture.  We tried to call him back, having seen what the pack could do to fawns a couple of times.  He was gone though.  Then we heard coyotes start up their yipping down there.  

I brought the dogs inside, where Harry immediately sought refuge on the couch, and Woody climbed onto the green chair.  After dragging their wet, miserable bodies off, I covered them with blankets and hugged them on the floor.  They were so upset!  Eddie and Ellie plopped down beside us.  

Then the lights went on on the deck.  A pistol fired.  

"Toby!  Come!"  G was trying to scare off the coyotes.  

G eventually got soaked getting the horses back in, which was a challenge I guess.  All the dogs were upset that he was upset with them, and they slunk downstairs to pile on the people beds, preferably on top of the people.  Toby put his head between my shoulder blades.  Harry kept his head up, looking into the mirror for 10 minutes, before finally nodding off and letting it fall on the covers. 

I really thought it was the bear in there, at first.  Wonder what happened to the goats?

G goes to Walmart

For a look into future, check out http://pakulakmadness.blogspot.com/2008/04/yet-another-wal-mart-story.html

Rose always knew her boy was capable of that sort of thing.  Well, he's just grown up is all--able to accomplish a lot more now.  It's beginning with yesterday's grocery trip...somehow G picks up random unmarked produce items like dried chilies and serrano peppers that it takes the cashier minutes to identify.  Meanwhile, he moves from the bagging area to look over her shoulder and try to help.  Then the frozen turkey comes up unmarked and has to be weighed and keyed in.  He attempts to do a little assistance there too, all of which takes place at the cashier lady's right shoulder.  At least he forgot to check for bullets in the sporting goods department, which was his reason for going shopping in the first place.  Don't worry, he's far from depressed, just did a little shooting in the back forty over the weekend and needed to replenish supplies.

Eddie turned two on Thursday, and Woody turns five today.  Told Hayley we could celebrate their birthdays together, and she said, no, Eddie hates to share the limelight.  However, as you can see, his b-day was not very exciting.  In fact, Hayley deserted him Thursday night to go out with friends.  Just wait till he turns twenty....

Also to the left is Harold, pictured with the watering can.  Now that it's Memorial Day, we folks at 8200 feet are able to plant, or so goes the traditional wisdom.  The 10-day forecast is for highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's, so I'm not sure I'm willing to put my little seedlings out yet.  They've been coddled since March, with me acting as butler carrying their trays out to the sunshine on nice days and not forgetting even once to bring them in for the night.  I'm sure there's a hailstorm waiting to happen.  After all, Mr. Bear has not abided by the rules of the almanac.  He climbs into the dumpster of manure to search for anything edible and even resurfaces with stuff like  Q-tips and dental floss.  All the really good stuff's in the garage till pick up day, but I guess he feels the need to clean up after eating the neighbor's garbage.  The garbage man ran into me last week while I was carting stuff out in the Mini (garbage on the roof too) in my pj's, and he reported that our twice-monthly pick up neighbors to the west had their metal topped dumpters ravaged by Mr. Bear.  Don't you wish you lived around here?

Hayley is sleeping in after a late night at Mimi's.  She likes to say as she leaves the house, "I have to go to work, you know I'm the only one working around here."   She kinda has G's sense of humor.

Oh, yes, that painting to the right?  The one that's upside down in the dining room?  Notice Toby still has nothing in his gaping mouth.  Painting was put on hold a few weeks ago, but I do hope to get back into it soon.  Meanwhile, Mom's producing one canvas after another in her condo kitchen.  Lordy, she's having a ball! 

Vacation, Vacation!

Geoff's taking a vacation.  It's going to be a bit before r3 gets underway, so he'll have time to bike, golf, and kick back with me.  Yea!  For those of you in the know, it does have something to do with the litigation over his leaving Spartan....  What a gorgeous time of year for a break.  I think the garden and woods will look even better this year.

I took Ellie in for testing on Friday.  CERF & OFA.  Both vets reported normal findings, so we're good to go on the breeding.  I'll be comparing Beau & Clancy next week, to decide who the lucky dad's going to be.  We expect to breed in June.

Next trip coming up is Aspen for a couple of nights.  We're taking all the kids and 3 dogs, probably Ellie and Woody will stay home, because I expect Ellie to be in heat by then, and Woody does not handle car rides well.  

Andy & Hayley finished up their semesters at CU.  McKenzie can't wait to say she's done with 6th!  She & Samantha did a video called Haunting, about the history of ghosts in the Brook Forest Inn.  Really fun & well done!  They'll show it to their class this coming Friday.  Can anyone think of a food or candy to pass out that would go with it???  That would be the cherry on top.

We're continuing work on subdividing the property.  There will be a couple of 10 acre lots, then a 15 acre with the house, barn, and a pasture.  To accomplish this, we'll need to purchase water through a water augmentation plan, then do surveying and platting....  But when we're done, we'll be able to build the new house on the lot we bought in town (across the street from Mom's condo) while still living here.  That's if we can sell the two lots first.  It'll be nice not to have to move twice.  All this is probably a year and a half down the road.

Suddenly, the grass is green and we're a week away from planting flowers.  So many birds have burst into song. It just smells like spring!  As usual, we've gone from a few feet of snow to practically summer, but I'm used to it by now and it seems like the right way of changing seasons.  If anyone wants to come and visit, we have the guestroom whipped back into shape since the woodpecker invasion.  We'll be around a lot this summer, and Geoff will be off for a few weeks, it looks like.  So pack your bags and come on over! 

Renegade Flickers Roost in the Guest Room

Yesterday I painted G's office--2 accent walls--one in a golden Sahara Sands, the other in a pumpkin "Acorn Spice".  He says he's not sure about the pumpkin wall, but I say stick with it and Happy Thanksgiving.  Also had a golf lesson.  Can you believe this?  Several times I did it...used the whole new golf swing and went right under the ball, so it landed back on the rubber tee.  Remarkable.  I actually hit better last week when I brought the junior clubs by mistake.  

Went into the beautiful, perfectly preserved guest room yesterday and surprised a couple of flickers, who went beserk.  Now there's a bunch of bird poop to clean up from them careening around.  They had found the perfect room to build their nest, and I ruined it.  One of them wouldn't vacate till Hayley took Eddie up the ladder to bark at it.  To the left is a picture of the hole they made in the wall, and of what a flicker is.  They're almost the size of pidgeons for ya'll who are city dwellers.

just news

Yesterday, I helped Mom with buying and setting up some deck furniture.  The rug and the fountain really did wonders for the whole look.  She'll have to wait till freeze time is over, after Memorial Day, to fill the fountain and plug it in, but it's really nice.  Full size (waist high) and simple, just water over a filial, plus not made of cement, but a lighter weight material, it makes a lovely pattering and gurgling.  Her table and chairs are Bistro style, and the chairs are all padded rattan, and they swivel and tilt.  Very comfy.  She was so excited, she broke out in hives!

Still lots to do here, as with the new venture, things have slid sideways fast.  McK and I plan to take a walk around the new property before school this morning.  So I'm off...and grateful life is working out.  The weather is going to be 70's-80's and sunny.

Oh yea, the bear came out of hibernation over the weekend and raided the dumpster big time.  His favorites this time are yogurt (licked clean) and refried beans.  Theory is that manure in the dumpster will deter bears, but that's been proven wrong.  Garbage truck comes this morning--better load our garbage in the truck and roar out there right now.  Guess I'll go for the walk in my pj's.

Snowed In, Muffined Out!

With snow up to our hips on Saturday morning, we got our exercise just shoveling and taking the garbage to the dumpster.  Since the power was out, G went to the gym for a shower.  I went with for something to do.  Not that we showered together.  I sat on the couch and read The Secret Life of Bees while the ceiling dripped on my head.  Even when I moved to the other end, it dripped on my head.  I mentioned it to the guy at the front desk, and he just kinda squinted up and shrugged.  Honestly, everybody's so worn out by the snow and having to play Worst Case Scenario by flashlight that I don't see how some people actually made it to the gym to work out.  I heard a woman panting on a treadmill!  Also odd, after I moved from the couch, a guy stretched out on it and read a book.  He stayed there!  I fell asleep sitting up at the coffee bar (having mastered this technique in too many years of college).  His face wasn't even dripping when G came up the stairs.  I'm getting like the dogs, I guess, so I subconsciously recognize his footsteps.  Just as in school, I gracefully awoke with no one the wiser.

This winter has been the best we've had here.  We just happened to make up for the dryness in the course of 3 days.  Good planning, I say.  It's back in the 60's now, so with the sun shining, you could have a day of skiing naked in the backyard if you wanted to.  Just have to avoid the fallen trees.  And Lordy, I'd hate to hit that high tensile wire fence.  80's are forecasted for Denver Thursday.  Hopefully the Mini will have thawed out by this afternoon.  Thursday evening art class left me snowed in at the library lot, where thankfully, Hayley rescued me.  

Ok, I've found my muffin recipe!  It's Strawberry Corn Muffins.  After trying out several of our old favorites, I discovered this one in a picture book, Olga's Cup and Saucer.  Mimi's didn't say the recipe had to be original.  This one is scumptious and healthy.  Try it!  I've pasted it to the side panel.  Harry sits by my side and woofs for bites, and Ellie and Woody even love it.  They don't eat junk food.

Harry definitely needs a shave.  #1:  He'll melt on Thursday.  #2:  He collected snow over the weekend to such a degree of balled upness that he could barely walk!  He looked like a boy baggin' with those baggy pants, who had to keep his legs spread wide.  We had to scrub him off, which he truly appreciated.  But after cabin fever set in, he started just having melt downs on the tile.  Left giant puddles wherever he layed.  People do have their limits of empathy.  We all get kind of burned out, and when he just keeps going out to get layered again, well, as Hayley said, "He's not going to die from it."

Speaking of Hayley, who absolutely hates mice....  She just walked in from the barn.  I picked up some good old fashioned wooden mouse traps on Sunday, and she's setting a minefield in the hay storage room.  Unfortunately, she looked up and saw a mouse looking down at her from the top bale.  So she set some on the top of the bales too, but they're not very stable, she says.  "I hate mice, geez.  If someone had made that barn better we wouldn't have them there.  If they hadn't put that door there.  It was horrible Mr. Ed's, just horrible!  I'm not happy, Mr. Ed's.  I'm not happy."

I'm going to paint a mural today.  I'm happy!    

Geoff Resigned

Geoff told me when he walked in the door at lunch yesterday.  

"Well, I resigned."

It's a real upheaval for him, leaving the people he's worked with so long.  They're like family, and of course he feels awful doing it.  He'll hammer out the details of when next week with the CEO of Russel. 

I'm very supportive, and know it's the best thing for him and for us.  

In a way, it's "pop open the champagne", but it's also "what lies ahead?"

I'll keep you posted.  

Painting's Done

Finally finished the rabbit.  

The girls at school thought group lessons in painting and dog obedience were dumb.  So much for that!

Summer Activities & a Muffin Contest

What if some of us moms kept costs down this summer by offering to teach our girls what we know?  I'm offering to give group painting lessons to McKenzie's friends. All the girls would have to buy are some $2 bottles of paint at Walmart, and a $5 packet of brushes.  I could get some cheap canvas and they could cut it up, make little individual works, and work together on a big mural for each of them.  

I've taken enough dog obedience to pass on some knowledge and fun there too.  We'll just have the lesson at the lake so we don't have all the rest of our dogs running interference.

I hope some of McKenzie's friends want to do it, and maybe their moms can teach a group lesson about something fun too.  I'm also thinking it would be nice for Gram to get together with McKenzie one morning a week to show her how to make some of those good pie recipes.  Especially banana creme.  Hayley could use some help teaching her young horses ground manners.  That's something McKenzie and I could both do with her this summer.  And McKenzie's hoping to teach her friend, Sam, guitar.  Why didn't this idea occur to me before? 

Mmmm, I've just finished my third apple spice muffin.  Hayley told me about a Mimi's contest (link to the side) for a Meaningful Muffin recipe.  The prize is a $1000 worth of Mimi's meals.  Also, you get a coupon for something if you submit an entry.  Soooo, yesterday, McK and I made our own applesauce, miraculously just enough, and whipped up an old recipe I used to make for muffins to bring to Montessori snack time.  Back then, I altered Laura Ingalls Wilder's Applesauce Cake recipe.  Now I'm wondering if it would be good to try it with a bit less cardamon, and the addition of some dark chocolate pomogranates.  But Hayley says it may be too pricey to add those, so maybe chocolate chips.  Mimi's is phasing out their banana chocolate chip muffins for this new type.  I know, maybe dark chocolate chips.  Hmmmm.  Entries are due by May 15th.  I'd better not experiment from now till then.  I'll start looking like a muffin. 

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

Easter's coming, and Mom's making dinner.  Yea! 

She and Hayley should be the organizers.  I came back from Walmart with some Del Monte fruit/jello.  Thought it would go well with the ham Mom's making.  Hayley told me it was so gross, and I tasted it:  yuck!  So, back to the potato idea.  I mash 'em and bring some white gravy.  Ah, such a gourmet.  I also signed on for Hawaiian rolls and pinapple slices.  Am I a slacker, or what?

I'm so thrilled with Mom's paintings.  She tells a story in every one.  

I'd like to get my rabbit done today....  McK & I did a mural over the weekend.  It's hanging in her room now.  Hope it doesn't give her bad dreams.  The strawberry lady had to be done over because she was too mean looking, but is my rendition now any better?  I don't know.  Definitely not mean...kind of looks like Dad.

Thought I'd get out of the Easter baskets, but the girls are adamant.  Candy is a must!  What's Easter without Laffy Taffy?  We can at least forgo the egg hunt, although the dogs will miss that.  Toby has gotten so good at cracking open the plastic eggs.

dr fogg says toby's ok

g called the vet's office at noon, and toby's bloodwork is normal. most likely hypoglycemia or an intestinal track problem. yea. thank goodness.

now we can be even more decadent and read books in the lounge chairs, order burgers and fries and vanilla ice cream and cokes. tomorrow's the flight back.

poor toby

hayley called yesterday to tell us that toby had a seizure. poor guy stopped breathing for about 30 seconds i guess, and she thought he'd died. he lost consciousness for 10 minutes after that.

she took him to the vet, and there should be some blood test results in later today. don't know if it's epilepsy or if he ate something moldy, or what. too bad the poor boy had to have it happen when we were gone. thank heavens cindy didn't have to deal with it though. she would have felt so bad. hayley's used to animal problems. poor poor tobes. she says he's fine today though.

yesterday was gorgeous here, very calm sea. later in the day though, the tide fooled us. we went out for a last snorkeling trip and the current was very strong, pulling us out to sea. i was concerned about mck's swimming strength, and she was pooped when we finally made it back to the pier. worrisome. i still remember feeling exhausted up in the canadian wilderness, swimming against a current from a portage area.

off for some tennis on the astro turf! we've been doing tennis at home on the driveway, and it's so much more strenuous here. no dogs to get the balls!

snorkeling & stuff

mckenzie got brave, donned the wetsuit, and snorkeled off shore this morning. even i felt a little odd going so far out. saw some amazing schools of fish hovering together over a sunken piece of ship (to be romantic about it). my flippers gave me a bruise though, they were so small. the mayans can´t believe a woman can have size 42 feet I guess. that´s only a women´s 10 by the way. what do really big women do? it doesn´t go over 11 does it?

waiting for the nachos to settle before going back in. enjoying the sequel to the friday night knitting club book, Knit Two. odd going from the sand to the concrete jungle of NYC. but comforting too. very relaxing here!!!!!

already, at what, 1 pm, we´re planning dinner. a choice of two restaurants: the main one on the beach, or the italian job. had spaghetti bolognese last night at the indoor italian place and it was incredibly good. just that our next door neighbors at the hotel sat beside us and yakked up a storm. she´s a new yorker from santa fe, who´s husband has a saab dealership, with a daughter who´s 13 and taking college calculus. the husband´s back in santa fe, lucky soul, and she´s desperate for conversation. her daughter kept trying to give her the zip your lips sign, but she was totally oblivious. it´s hard to dip into the chocolate fondue and have somebody continually yakking at your back. then it turned out our tv was on way too loud for them.... kinda wish they´d move! we´re hoping to find out where they´re going to eat tonight, then go to the other place.

one more day of paradise! I guess Harold (the puppy) was not happy with the house sitter. It took him two days to warm up to her. Poodles!

hola!

hola from cozumel! let's see if the coffee's kicked in yet. what do i expect? it's decaf.

had a bit too much chardonnay last night.

working on a spanish keyboard, so no capitals today. anyway, one doesn't need them here, nor clothes either, just a bathing suit and cover up and something dry for later. euphoria has settled into simply a tipsy joy... i do love this place. the birds, the fish. saw a fish as long as my arm this morning, must have been a bottom feeder, right by the shore. then a blue crab scuttled around. some long legged white birds totter and dash by the water's edge while a few drowsy suited up people make their way to the waiting dive boat, gas scenting the air with vacation memories from our kansas city red and white boat. but dorothy, this is not kansas...or the ozarks.

enough of the poetry... the kids are here and will be anxious for breakfast soon.

hayley and andy will never make good roommates. and we'll leave it at that!

bought some crayons and markers, so will color a bit, lacking the paints and canvas. i am on that kick, just as mom has redone her apple tree at least five times. so lucky she started with acrylics, because watercolors would have been impossible to change.

off to eat, take the big kids to the airport, then back for a few more days with g and mckenzie. no exciting news other than that the cheese and plain muffins are great here. enjoying my books, and it's nice to just walk the beach, swim with the fish, and have meals together. mckenzie has discovered she likes hamburgers!

ps. play tennis here and you are absolutely soaked with sweat. your head feels so hot you can't wait to dive in the waves. i hear we got a foot of snow at home.

Grandma Moses & Dog Togs

It's 2:30 pm.  G's alarm clock always goes off at this time.  He can't fix it or change it, so no matter what I'm doing, it's like the town siren in Lake Forest at noon.  Everybody knows when it's 2:30 around here.

Just back from a lovely walk on a brisk, cold sunny day, with the doggies.  They thoroughly enjoyed it, as did I.  

Here's the big news--not that we pulled out of the stock market last week.  No, that's old news by now.  Not that G had a face off with the former & present CEO's on Wednesday.  That too, we're over.  He's still at Spartan, so time to move on.  No, the big news is that Mom has discovered her artistic bent.  Ever since she started in the class at the Evergreen Art Center with me, she's been sketching and painting like Grandma Moses (who did over a 1600 paintings beginning at the age of 76).  Just as Anna Mary Robertson Moses was a primitive painter, May Ann Johnson has a primitive Van Gogh style.  Short, bold brushstrokes, and flat, storytelling scenes.  I love it!  She's the one who always said she wasn't talented.  Gave all the credit to Dad.  But she's really going at it, and yesterday went home after our painting class, started over on her house picture, and drew and painted until she went to bed.

I'm really enjoying acrylics myself.  Unlike watercolor, where one misstep either has to be converted into something else, soaked up, or scrubbed, an acrylic can be painted over...and over and over.  I found an old McCall's pattern for "Dog Togs" online, and took off to paint a large rendition of a poodle & scottie in coats.  At first it was repulsive in it's colors, but after working till dinner yesterday, I put washes on it (thin color) and toned it down to something I really like.  Just have to add a poofy poodle tail (in purple), and a table leg now to finish it off.

So, in closing, here's a toast to Mom!  Maybe she'll have her first one man show when she's 90.  Ol' Grandma Moses lived to 101, and even wrote an autobiography, so you never know where this will lead!  Inspiration for us all.

Eloise & the Bad Mouse at Midnight

From The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter:

THE doll's house stood at the other side of the fireplace....  TOM THUMB and Hunca Munca went up-stairs and peeped into the dining- room. Then they squeaked with joy! 

Such a lovely dinner was laid out upon the table! There were tin spoons, and lead knives and forks, and two dolly-chairs --all SO convenient....

After a nice plaster dinner and a bit of pilfering, Tom Thumb traveled on to my bedroom.  SPLASH, TRINKLE, LEAP!  He took a swim in the dog bowl then scaled the bedroom curtains.  Eloise came positively unglued when he skittered in back of her Moscow edition fur.  I opened the window wide, but the minute the light went off, I heard a plop.  Tom had nosedived from window ledge to carpet!  

Smudgy refused to come to the rescue.  Haughtily, she pouted under the bed.  

"Catch him yourself,"  she implied with typical Siamese attitude.

I shook out the shoes on the closet floor.  Then he made a dash for the door.  Long story short, Tom took off on his little tractor and roared down the hallway with two cats on his tail.  I slammed the door and stuffed towels under it. 

Hayley woke up this morning to report that Eddie was on the trail.  Lordy, if that Tom comes back tonight, Eloise will lose her head completely!  Get out the Gorilla Glue.  TOUT DE SUITE! 

 

Guest Note

Direct TV guy is here, upgrading the HD service.  Now if you come to visit, you'll get HD on local channels too.  The guest room is finished, so plan a trip!!!!

Mom's going to take the acrylic's class with me, starting tomorrow.  Should be fun.  I've got to think of something to paint, because I'm not so enthused about doing another student's photo of a Greek fishing boat, even if she does say there are kittens hidden on the other side.  Reminds me of Papa, who used to ask, "How many eggs are in this picture?"  It was a painting on our kitchen wall in KC.  I'd count, and he'd say, "No, there's one you can't see behind that cup."  He always was a joker.

Must clean, as I let go Shirley, who was our maid for exactly 3 weeks.  Anyone who can't clean as well as I can does not deserve to be paid!  So, back to the toilet scrubber.  But I found the Remarkable Stone at Walmart!!!! Will it take off the well water stains?????  We shall see....

Had lunch with my drawing class yesterday.  It's fun.  You absolutely starve yourself thru 3 hours of sketching, then go to Tuscany's for the antipasto tray to share.  Mmmm.  Was out of my league (and interest, actually) listening to the director of the art center discuss the new art center plans w/my prof and Polly.  Kinda glad when Barrie needed her purse out of my car and we had a chance to escape.  But, really enjoyable people in that class.

The weather continues to be gorgeous, so I'm off to scrub and walk!

Napa on Valentines

I am in the process of painting the bathroom.  Literally.  I just took off my pink rubber gloves to break off a bite of Lindt's dark chocolate and pop open another Diet Coke.  I've gotten spoiled being out so much.  The cokes I order from drive thru's are bubblier, esp. since I ask for it with no ice.  So I drink 2/3's of one at home, toss it, and get another.  Now isn't all this interesting?  My brain has a coating of putty colored paint on it.  But heck, it'll go great with the rug, towel & art in there.

If you want to go to an interesting, fun blog, go to The More The Messier.  I'll put the link to the side of this.  She's a stay at home mom who always, always makes me laugh.  In fact, Click & Clack even had her on the radio once--and not for car trouble, I don't think.

G., McK, and I were in Napa for the weekend, and the wine Pat introduced us to was phenomenal.  Ballantine...a white & a red...you could actually taste the bouquets, I mean this was like actually understanding the wine writer in the Wall St. Journal.  All that blackberry essence, etc, I never discovered till Napa.  Pat brought a Zin to Valentine's dinner that talked me back into reds--although I could feel it the next morning.

Saw the property in Sacramento that the Ridder clan went in on.  Very pretty and definitely a good investment.  Water pipes and development going in, now that ordinances have changed.  It's right by a bunch of windy little roads with boutique vinyards in Amador County.  The grapevines were getting plenty of moisture over the weekend.  It rained pretty much the entire time.  McK and I did dash off to Target for bathing suits though, because The Vintage Inn's pool was nice and steamy.  As always, their breakfasts are enough to tide you over till dinner.  Just once, on Valentine's Day, I tried the combo of champagne for breakfast + regular expresso (not decaf).  Phew!  Practically danced on the table and couldn't stop gabbing.  Fun!  Only it wore off, and I fell asleep at noon for an hour nap.  Lovely way to go though.

Visit with Lisa, Mike, Jake, Clyde & Cleo

Here are some photos from yesterday.  Cleo & Clyde came to visit!!!   You'll remember them as Chloe & Jasper from babyhood.  They're so sweet.  Toby was a bossy boy & Ellie didn't like seeing her babies.  They were not very good hosts at all.  Harry thought it was great to see his brother and sister though!   Lisa, Mike and Jake are really happy with them.  Mike says it's hard to have a dog be smarter than you, but isn't that how we all feel!

Notice the before and after photos too--more remodeling done!  Yes!  So, now what to do today?  McKenzie wants to go for a drive to McDonalds for a cinnamon roll.  She was severely deprived over camp week.  At least she used her hiking boots every day.  So, she's actually suggested that when we come home from McDonalds we can go for a walk!  Will wonders never cease?  You should have been with us at Fiesta Jalisco last night.  Not only was the food incredibly good, but McKenzie was delighted to be back and in a restaurant with us.  It was a delicious dinner.

Hayley's all stressed out because she chose Mimi's and dropped Microeconomics, which would have been easier.  She had her first day of work, and ironed the white shirt (got the goop off the iron, and made the counter an ironing board) for about half an hour, getting creases in it over and over.  Hey, I did it the first time and it wasn't good enough!  Really, Mimi's will be more of a learning experience life wise.  They sent her home with a notebook of info to learn, and she has to pass a "final" on it, Wednesday, before starting.  Makes you feel better about eating at Mimi's, doesn't it? 

After ironing rugs....

Hayley's taken a new job at Mimi's and needs to iron her white shirt.  I told her she'd better go to Grams!

The ironing board is currently stripped of its cover, and tucked over the electric heat unit in McKenzie's room (for safety, so her bed which was pushed against the wall won't, well, overheat or anything). 

The iron needs to get brown plastic gunk off of it, from ironing these annoying creases in a Walmart rug I put by the new (Andy's old) bedroom door.  Who would've thought it would melt?  

The summery weather here has put me into a creative fix up the house mode.  Andy's old room is fini!  Except for the love seat and ottoman that are coming in 2 weeks.  The kitchen is fini!  All faux paint tiled, lit, and polished.  The walls in the hallway downstairs--fini!  Looks like an art gallery and very fresh.  Jill is fini!  She is refreshed, top of the world, and ready for another 60 degree summer day.  This weather is incredible!

Mom and I buzzed down (hide your eyes, cutting across 3 lanes with a milk shake to make a left on Alameda during lunch hour) to Pro Source so she could choose new vinyl for her bathroom floor.  Harry and Ellie came along and shopped with us.  Harry kept picking up pieces of wood on the floor, but other than that they were very helpful.  Did I mention that the carpet guys put a nail in the radiant floor heat pipe, causing a drip to the floor below, and necessitating a tearing up of closet and bath flooring?  Anyway, Mom's gotten a new bathroom floor out of the deal.

Andy turned 22 last week.  He had class at 8:30 am that day, but we saw him Saturday for a rolicking dinner at Tuscany's.  There, my arch enemy came in to dine.  You all wouldn't think I'd have an arch enemy would you?  Actually the whole war has de-esculated to more of a feeling of "oh no, keep a low profile, don't let her see us."  Anyway, Hayley was there, and the woman in question is her old best friend's mom, so Hayley was telling Geoff --"don't make eye contact" etc.  He gave the thumbs up, then on the way out went, "Oh HI!  Evan!  Stephani!"  

Well, you all have a lovely day.  Know I will.  We're going to pick up McKenzie from camp and zip down to Cherry Creek with her for lunch.  G's working half a day.  He wants to pick up something for A's birthday.  We'll have lunch at Nordstrom's cafe--mmm pizza & diet coke.  Maybe a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.  Wonder what Ms McPicky's eaten all week?  Can't wait to hear about her cabin and camp activities.  Did she square dance?

PS-- Don't even try to pick out birthday presents for a 22 year old.  McK and I shopped all Saturday and found random things like fake mango trees, little rock waterfalls, a poster, and a plug-in teapot.  Turns out he likes real plants and water from the microwave.  Ah well, my stir fry pan gift at Christmas was a bomb, why did I think his birthday would be any better? 

McKenzie's sick --day 6

Hayley cannot believe McKenzie is still sick, but she's coughing, and even though I was on the way to school with her this morning, we just ended up visiting teachers and getting work.  She has to be well enough to go to Mt. Evans next week.  

Here are our new kitchen lights.  Scott N.'s back today to do more painting and lighting.  Yea!!!!

A Most Delightful Day

Want to hear about the perfect sort of day?

This a.m., I saved The Women (classic version) for breakfast, watched it till 10:30, showered and took the doggies for a stroll.  The day was absolutely gorgeous, 60's sunny, no wind.  

Anyway, after the hike and a peanut butter and jelly, I was off to the library to use the internet since I don't have Microsoft Word.  Natalie ( a friend of McKenzie's) has an enormously talented writer mom who sent me her first romance novel via e-mail.  For 2 hours, I shuttered myself, sometimes plugging my ears, in a library cubicle to read it.  I laughed out loud and smiled throughout.  This is a happy, fun story, with a buoyant, optimistic main character and the story takes place in Evergreen with familiar restaurants, etc.  Very entertaining!  I was able to be perfectly frank with the author and tell her she's the next Janet Evanovich.

Then....I picked McK up at the bus and we went to Baskin Robbins, picked up Wonder Bread, and made for home.  French toast and eggs for dinner, as G's out of town.  Yum.  In the mail I got a gift from the Mini people--lots of door prizes for buying the Clubman last month.  Included some peel off stickers for windows--you come up with your own curious statements.  Gotta think about that!  And I got wheels!  For this chair I'm sitting on.  Crate and Barrel came through with replacements, because I have been coasting around with two broken wheels duct taped.  One had a big spool on it.  The other, the April Fools fake dog poo.  Now the dog poo has sticky residue, and can be used on the ceiling this April.  Pity the poor fool sleeping under it.  Oops!

 

Girl Scout murders in 1977

Weird, but I had one of those threading thoughts that occur at 3 in the morning.  Last night, I started thinking about the 1/2 summer during college spent in a little bitty town outside Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I was a counselor at a horseback riding camp there....

The place was run by two couples, sisters and their husbands.  They'd just opened it.  It had 3 cabins, one for boys, and two for girls.  The boy's counselor was from some East coast prep school who thought it was hilarious that Tulsa had streets named after schools like Harvard.  He stayed in the cabin a lot and read books before the kids came.  Kate was my co-counselor, and a real sport.  Very gregarious, happy, and athletic.  There was another girl too, Carolyn???, who was younger than either of us, and beautiful, just horse crazy.  

When we first got there, we could choose a horse from the pasture, one who hadn't been ridden for the winter, and get on.  I chose Blue, a dapple gray appaloosa.  He only cantered wildly through the field when I got in the saddle.  He was a good boy.  

So...why did the sisters get so depressed over the first month and a half that one could not even leave the little house where they lived together?  Here's what happened:

First two weeks:  during a hay ride, one sister's puppy was run over by the wagon.  A girl who was afraid to get on a horse the entire time, decided to brave it when her parents came to pick her up from camp.  The horse took off into the woods with her, and one of the men leapt on a horse to chase the runaway down.  They served no fruits or vegetables there, and I got a terrible case of constipation!  They had to put me on a diet of yogurt and offer their house bathroom to me!!!

Second two weeks:  the swimming hole, which was a mucky pond, started to dry up in the heat.  Still, swimming was an activity, and they made kids go in.  One boy came down with a horrible ear infection and had to be sent home.  Can you imagine the microbes lurking in that hole?  Then something happened that they kept very hushed up about....

Three girl scouts were murdered in a camp "not far away".  This was June, 1977.  That's all I knew about it.  We didn't have TV or newspapers or even radio.  From that point on, we couldn't keep the windows open or sleep on the screened porches.  We had to be locked into the cabins with windows shut tight.  This was Oklahoma in the summertime, remember.  The two husbands took turns staying awake all night to patrol the camp with pistols.

Turns out, the police never pinned down the rapist/murderer of the 8,9, and 10 year old girl scouts.  Whoever it was, was "an animal," according to the doctor who did the autopsies.  

All I knew was that it was hot, discouraging, and I got a spider bite on my leg that started streaking red up and down like poison spreading.  My best friend, Tweedledum (I was Tweedledee), drove down from Tulsa to take me to the emergency room.  I packed my bag and never went back.

Odd, those thoughts about a summer so many years ago.  But if you look on the internet, there's a ton of stuff on the girl scout murders.  To us, it was just an event that closed the windows.  

Star from the lone star state

Here's Star (Izzy in the old days), newly shampooed, conditioned and cut--with jewelry!  Isn't Jaycee a doll too!  Kim says they're doing great down in Houston.  

Geoff and I finally met Mike's mother last night, over dinner at Abrusci's.  She's a very personable, athletic Hawaiian woman, eagerly looking forward to her move to Nevada next week.  No wonder Mike's such a good guy!

Hayley has started the War of the Sisters.  She's been stalking McKenzie and waving scratched DVD's in her face.  When that doesn't work, she calls her on my cell phone or leaves notes.  She wants all her DVD's replaced, even the seasons of Friends.  It's just lovely around here.  And just when I thought they bonded over winter break.

Made curtains for Mom's kitchen window last week.  I had to do every cut, stitch and ironed seam just right, and positively agonized over hanging the rods straight and firm.  If it were for me, I'd have just thrown them up there, pinned (take a look at our living room drapes some time), but for her--perfection!  Now it looks like she has a checked drape over french doors on one kitchen wall.  In reality, the little bitty window looks out onto the hall fire extinguisher, but you'd never know.  I like her house better than mine now!  It's so cosy (and clean, and quiet, and calm).  I drive McKenzie to the middle school and stop off to say hi in the morning, or we roar off on an expedition to buy wires, fabric, or milk!  Very nice to have her here, and she's so happy getting to know the neighbors.  Oh, and her dog Penny was adopted last week!  See the Pinecam forum:  http://www.pinecam.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=80786&sid=1d99b221fb3ca5f041f31940feb8c456

Mom's Mae West, living next door to Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn, Mom's smart, slender condo neighbor from NY, had told Mom to remember her name by thinking of Marilyn Monroe.  Mom decided to make herself Mae West.  What a corner on the 4th floor!  Anyway, Mom told Marilyn about her new name association yesterday, and qualified it with, "well, not Mae West in the chest."  Marilyn said she used be.  So Mom said, she used to be too.  I totally ruined her reinventing her life--bad me!  I told Marilyn she never had a Mae West chest!  Moms going to kick me out of there!  Honestly though, the women we've met there have been quite delightful.  And Geyza, the next door neighbor on the other side, was an ambassador to Hungary!  Quite a condo.

Mom's Remodel -- C'est Fini!!!

Here it is, TA DA!  Mom's happy as a clam here.  I love it.  So does she!  Take a look at the "before" photos to the left.

Paint in Photoshop 1st?

Here's an idea....  Ok, I'm slow to catch on.  But this morning I was sorting through photos we've taken to choose some for the acrylic and oil classes I'm going to take.  I would like to get more into abstracts.  In class in the past, we've eyeballed the photos, blown them up, cut out things, etc.  So I started doing this in Photoshop and thought--this must be what professionals are doing a lot of these days.  Here are some of my results.  

Ok, off to Mom's to hang her pictures.  A snowy day is descending...but that's ok.  This time I will take photos of Mom's place--if we can get through the picture hanging!