And so it begins...

Misty morning on the mountain, and Matthew and crew have shown up for Day One of the major landscaping renovations.  They are taking out the crap shrubbery, then (I think) they will start on the stone wall along the road.  We are salvaging some of the smaller pine shrubs and transplanting them to the back, though Matthew said he would have to check out the root balls once they're out of the ground to see if they would survive the move.  It would save us some money if that works since we were going to have to buy some pines for the back anyway.  We'll have to wait and see how that plan works out.

Matthew--on the bright orange tractor/digger--and Rusty, the sidekick, starting the very first rending of shrubbery. 

I'm really glad this process has begun, though I fear it will be a very long two months.  The amount of work seems overwhelming to me, but Matthew said he's been looking forward to this project for months.  Go figure.

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Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz:

First set of three photos...

Photo #1:  Glendevon, Perthshire, Scotland

Photo #2:  Idaho, on the road from Twin Falls to Oregon

Photo #3:  Mountain pass on the Eisenhower Highway, heading to Ogden, Utah
 

Amazing really, how similar the landscapes are.

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The second set of photos...

Photo #1:  The Columbia River, along the Gorge, taken on the Oregon side

Photo #2:  Loch Ness, taken from the Dores side of the loch, Scotland
 

Photo #3:  The Columbia River, on the Washington side

How did everyone do on the quiz..??  I still can't get over how thousands of miles can separate the geology of these areas, and yet they have an uncanny resemblance to each other.  Very cool.

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And so, with the buzz of chainsaws in the air as the shrubs are taken out, I will get on with the day.  I can't wait to see the last of those wretched juniper bushes and will happily take some photos later of where they used to be.  Stay tuned...

Sunday Quiz

I was going through all my digital photos yesterday looking for my new Meandering main photo for February.  I have well over 2,000--covering the last four years--from Scotland, Italy, London, and all across America.  As I'm tripping down Memory Lane, I realize that though our world is incredibly diverse, the geology and/or geography is also startlingly similar.  I looked at a photo of Scotland that compared to another of Utah; another from Scotland looked like Oregon. 

So.  Let's take a short quiz.  Can you tell where these photos originated..??

I'll give you a hint.  Below are three photos:  Idaho, Scotland and Utah...not necessarily in that order, of course.  Can you identify which picture belongs to which place..??

 

 

Second part of the quiz.  These three are Oregon, Washington and Scotland...again, not in any particular order.

Interesting how alike they are, isn't it..??  I'll post the answers tomorrow.

I got so sidetracked with the similarity photos, I forgot to find my Meandering main picture.  Oh well, I still have until Tuesday, February 1st.  And wow, how fast did the long and dreary month of January fly by..??  Though, I have to say, for the first time ever--except when I lived in Hawaii--January wasn't dreary at all, but wonderfully pleasant and sunny.  The weather folks here are referring to it as Juneuary, and it's true.  Such warm, unexpectedly great weather has been an amazing blessing.

I'll leave you with a smile from this video about not judging; what you see may not be what is.  It's just a little something to think about on a Sunday morning...

Via flixxy

Saturday Stuff

Yesterday was another really brilliant sunny day.  I can't get over this weather...in January.  Alan and I were talking about it, as we walked the dogs in the park in our shirtsleeves.  I said I couldn't remember such great weather at this time of year; Alan--born and raised in Edinburgh--said he'd never experienced anything like it in his life.  The mornings start off misty/foggy, then by lunch it's clear blue skies and actual hot sunshine.  Amazing, really.

Matthew, the landscaper, called all the utility companies on Thursday, and three of the four came out yesterday to mark off where all the underground stuff is.  We now have a rainbow of dots and marks--one color per utility--all over the front yard.  The electricity people haven't shown yet, though they should come sometime today.  I like that there are no wires and poles aboveground to mar the natural environment of the mountain; it was interesting to see where things are below the ground, too.  I think, regardless of the landscaping to come, it's good to know where all these things are located.

Alan's Italian Creme birthday cake turned out pretty good.  It's a complicated recipe, though not hard to follow.  The cake texture is dense, though moist, and very rich with the--oh, yum, yum--frosting.  It was a good choice for something different.

Not much going on today, other than waiting for the mist to clear, and taking the dogs for their afternoon walkies.  It looks like a laid-back Saturday coming up...my favorite.

In closing, I want to post this great cartoon I found.  This is exactly how I feel about the crap surrounding the Mayan calendar's 2012 Apocalypse-Doomsday-Armageddon-End of the World scenario...

Via Miss Cellania

For me, this makes more sense than what the doom and gloom folks are ranting on about.  Course, I could be wrong.  In which case, I'd best go enjoy my Saturday and not waste whatever time I have left thinking about anything but sunshine and relaxation.  I'll leave the prophetic nonsense to others.

Foggy Friday

We are totally locked in with fog this morning.  Somewhere down there is Roseburg.  I guess, with the really warm weather during the day and the cold at night, the two have met in the middle and produced this:

It's not often we are encased in fog and mist, up here on the mountain.  Usually we're above it, though not today.  I love how the gnarly Oak trees look so mysterious and eerie, especially this one, directly across the road from my study window.

Hopefully, by this afternoon, it will have burned away.  It's getting brighter by the minute, so I know the sun is up there somewhere trying to break through. 

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Here's my not-so-good video of the current landscaping.  It's pretty jiggly as I was trying to keep my footing in some dicey parts, though you can basically get the drift of how crappy the yard is around the house.  As usual, I will bore everyone senseless with photos and videos as the work progresses.  I'm hoping this landscape deal won't turn out as endless and ungratifying as the blasted garage floor--which is still not right, but we won't go there right now.

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That's about all I've got time for this morning.  It's Alan's birthday today and I'm making him an Italian Creme Cake for the event.  I haven't made it before, so it will be interesting to see what a mess how it works out.  I really shouldn't experiment like this on the very day I need things to go well, but there you go...life in the fast lane.

Have a good Friday, people.

Birthdays and Beauty

Today is Ozzy's 8th birthday.  Wow, where has the time gone..??  Now that he's been peeled like a grape, he actually looks younger than his age.  More like a fuzzy Papillon puppy than a grown man-dog.  At least one thing about hair...it always grows back.  (Well...sorry Alan...except in your case.)  Mwah hahaha.

Here's a great shot of the Birthday Boy this morning, pink toy stuffed in his mouth, ready to play.  I think he's getting used to being scalped, or at least he doesn't mind so much since the weather has been so incredibly warm and toasty.

And, speaking of the weather.  I was sitting at the computer earlier, the sun just breaking over the horizon, the mist thick over Roseburg, and as I glanced out the window, this was what I could see:

So beautiful, isn't it..??  I went out to the front deck, just to admire the view, and discovered the Birch trees were covered in sparkling drops of dew.  Of course, I had to try to get some pictures.  It looked like the branches were covered in little twinkling fairy lights.  My photos don't do justice to the actual, but still, you can almost see what I mean.

Two macro shots...

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Matthew (the landscaper) has just left after a run-through of what will be happening over the next two months.  I love his vision of the changes, though am still having a hard time truly seeing it.  I can't seem to get beyond the ugly now, to see the beautiful later.  I did a video of the landscaping yesterday, and will post it tomorrow.  It's not great, but will do for the "before".  Let's just cross our fingers that the "after" lives up to expectations--though as I've already said, nearly anything will be better than how things look at the moment.

Absolutely stunning day today.  The mist is lifting in the valleys--though we have been above it all morning--and the sun is shining and warm.  I need to get motivated so we can get the dogs out for their walkies.  And, hey...Happy Birthday, Oz...!!!

Last Phase

The landscape guy, Matthew, called this morning and the last phase of the outdoor renovations are set to begin on Monday.  **Deep, mournful sigh**  I would much rather spend the money on doing stuff inside the house, but as this is the last task for the outside work, we might as well get it over with.

I will try to take a Before video, not only to show how bad the yard is (remember the Path of Doom..??), but to document the changes.  It's to take two months...ugh...though by Spring everything should be done and dusted, and we will have a totally new look.  In theory.  We are also having a drip irrigation system put in, instead of the water-wasting sprinkler system that marginally works now; this will help conserve water in the blazingly hot Summer months.

We will be getting a stone wall along the road in front of the house, then a stone pathway leading through the front yard to the back deck--now a slanting slope of ankle-breaking danger; the Path of Doom off the back deck will be stone steps leading down to the lower area where we are having a new lawn put in for the dogs.  Right now it's pretty much scrub grass and weeds. 

The landscaping at the moment is minimalist, and littered with hodge podge stop-gaps of random bricks, stones, and what looks like scrap materials collected from a junk yard.  The elderly couple who owned the house did absolutely nothing to change or improve things, so in effect the yard is about 15 years beyond neglect.  **Another deep, mournful sigh**

I'm having trouble visualizing all the changes, though regardless how it turns out, anything is better than how it looks now.  Matthew and crew will remove most of the dead and/or dying shrubbery from the front, and the sad, dead Oak tree skeleton in the side yard, then when we get to the end of all this, we will get new trees and plants.  Matthew assures me we can find things the deer won't eat.  Mostly.  Hopefully.  

Course, I'm doomed for the vegetable garden I wanted, and won't be able to recreate the gloriously beautiful garden we had in Edinburgh, but whatever.  I guess it's a "when in Rome" situation really.  The deer aren't going anywhere, and it makes no sense to plant fodder for them.

So, in closing, let me reminisce for a moment on what was, and will never be again...the garden in Edinburgh.  Blasted wildlife...

 

 

 

Tuesday

Yesterday it got up into the mid-60s.  It was a wonderful day, and so much like Spring that you could hardly believe it.  We took the dogs to the city park first, then it was off to the vet's for Max's shots, which thankfully didn't take too long.  After that, as a treat and because of the weather, we drove out to the County Park.  I ended up taking off my sweatshirt as I got too hot...!!

This morning we woke up to frost everywhere, but already it's melted in the heat from the sun.  Yes, it's another beautiful day.  I don't know what to think.  After ten years in Scotland--where it barely gets into the 60s in the Summer months--this bizarrely warm January has me waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely this isn't normal to have the weather so pleasant at this time of year..??  Am I really in the Southern Hemisphere instead of Southern Oregon..??

In case you're wondering:  I am NOT complaining...!!!

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Not much of interest around the internet this morning, so Coffee Break Tuesday will be sparse...maybe only worth half a cup.

I did find the most amazing advertisement though.  It's for Sapporo beer (Japan's oldest beer maker), and is just wonderful.  It took a month to shoot it, oddly in China...and by a Canadian film group.  I guess that makes this a very international beer advert.

Take a moment to enjoy this...it's very, very good.

  Via Presurfer

Here's my "What in the world..??" sign for the week.  Seriously, Sweden and/or the Scandinavian countries have a whole different way of looking at things.  I don't get this one at all, other than the little figures look like they're dancing...or something.  Any ideas..??  I suppose if I could read the sign, it would make sense, though the point of the graphics is for those of us who don't know the language in whatever country we happen to be in, can still follow along by looking at the pictures...right...??

Again last night we had another great sunset.  I'm going to finish off the posting today with these three shots.  And, yes, this is the exact color of the actual sunset...fiery and yellow and orange.

Time to get out into the sunshine, head for the park and do our walkies.  Dogs are already snarking that I'm still in here banging away on the laptop, and trust me, if anything will get me out of this chair, it's those two... 

Monday

This will be short for a few reasons.

First, it's an absolutely stunning Spring-like day today.  Almost 60* already and only 10:45 in the morning.  It's to get even warmer as the day goes along so we want to get outside and enjoy it.

Secondly, Max has his booster shots today, which hopefully will only take a quick drop in and get out at the vet's, then we'll head to the big County Park rather than the local one for a change.  I am very tired of going to the vet, so with any luck at all, this will be the last visit for awhile.

So, no time to dawdle in the house.  Fast trip to the vet, then a nice long walk in the park to revel in the sun.

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Though, before I go, a couple of things to lighten the load because it's...ugh...Monday:  A time out.  A "do nothing" for two minutes.  Turn up the volume on your computer, sit back, listen to the waves, and just...do nothing.  Frankly, I could have done this for at least half the day five minutes, but two is fine especially if you're at work or don't have much time, or both.  (Tip:  Turn your sound up before you click on the link.  If you touch the keyboard or your mouse, you will FAIL the "do nothing" part of the exercise.)

Okay, now that you're all relaxed, we can go for a ride.  I thought this was amazing.  Somehow these folks taped a helicopter ride through Nimmo Bay, and along the Northern Inside Passage around Vancouver Island in British Columbia.  You can move your mouse all around, just as if you're in the helicopter swiveling your head at the tremendous scenery.  It was really cool, and very, very beautiful.  (You might want to turn your sound down a bit on this one.  I thought the choice of music was odd, because it's the landscape that sings, but whatever.)

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Time to get outdoors.  The birds are chirping, the deer are grazing in the field next to the house, the sun is shining...and you would never know this is January.  It feels like May.  Though because it isn't May, we need to take advantage of this spectacular day and get out there.  

Have a good Monday, folks.

Back Tomorrow...

I'm taking a breather.  I have almost finished my book and as it's a cliffhanger, I really want to see what happens next, plus my BFF is supposed to call later in the afternoon, and I just need a break.

So...it seems like a good time for a

Musing on Mortality

I was reading one of my daily blogs this morning over breakfast and followed a link to a guy, Ransom Riggs, who's hobby is collecting old photos.  Old photos of perfect strangers.  He calls his collection "Talking Pictures" and is printing a book of his photos.

Here's his video, which is heartwrenching, and cool, and reminds me of...well, more on that in a minute.

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Okay, about the "reminds me of..." bit.  Let me backtrack.

Jan--my BFF--and I used to haunt the thrift stores and estate sales of Seattle back when we both lived there in the 1980s and '90s.  We had an affinity for 1940s-era clothing, and odd bits of memorabilia.  I went for vases by Hull and McCoy (some, even as I write this, are showcased above the cabinets in the kitchen); Jan went for...get this...strangers' photos, among other things.  She would spend ages sorting through boxes of pictures, selecting them by some process I didn't understand, and I suspect, she didn't either.  I asked her once why she did this weird thing.  She told me she felt sorry for these lost people; how sad that they ended up, forgotten and alone, in a Seattle thrift store.  That's Jan.  She saves lost people.  Even now, in her daily world, she is caring for the lost and alone elderly folks where she lives in northern Idaho.

So how peculiar I found it this morning, that there is another like her out there, fascinated and mesmerized, not only by strangers, but by the things they wrote on their pictures.  I can't wait to tell her about this.

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Now, back to Ransom Riggs (and wow, what a name).  At the bottom of this article, there are other links to more of his photos, if you're interested.

As I gazed at these pictures, and read the words written by long-gone people, it made me feel that mortality pang--a feeling I try very hard to avoid the older I get.  All these views and comments, across the span of years, dumped into boxes in thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales.  I have several boxes of my own photos from various stages of my life.  Will they end up being picked through by other strangers, wondering who I was..??  Frankly, it creeps me out.

Eventually--since all my recent photos and everyone else's are now digital--there won't be boxes of pictures in stores or shops to sort through.  My blog and photo programs with all my pictures will be erased when I am.  There won't be any paper trail of images.  No one to sit on the floor of an antique shop thumbing through lives...curious and questioning.  There won't be a Jan or Ransom taking strangers into their homes for safekeeping.

Is that a good thing, or a sad thing..??  Maybe it doesn't even matter.  Maybe, for a split second in time, we record our lives as they were at that moment and that's good enough.  After all, once we've slipped the mortal coil, we won't care.  And, cripes, now I've just had a mini-epiphany:  If I looked at my hundreds (okay, thousands) of photos--paper and digital--I would predominately have nature, animal or architectural shots.  I don't take many people photos.  Is that subconscious on my part..??  Perhaps I don't want strangers looking at my people in dusty boxes on the floor of a thrift store.

Well, now that I can feel the Grim Reaper chuckling over my shoulder, I think I'll end this musing on mortality.  Life is so fleeting, whether we try to record it in photographs or not, and we should just enjoy and savor each moment.  And, holy crap, where's my camera..??  I need to go take a picture of something...a mountain...a bird...the beauty in my life.

Random Things...

I don't have any videos today, so no Flix on Friday post.  That's okay, really.  I don't want to post any ol' video just because it's Friday.  So, instead I have a few photos.

Yesterday afternoon I was standing out on the front deck, whilst talking to my mother on the telephone, when this very large bird landed in an oak tree across the road.  I wasn't sure what it was...eagle, mutant hawk, pterodactyl...??  I grabbed my camera, and with one hand holding the phone and the other trying to macro the lens and take a steady shot, I managed to get these two pictures before the bird flew off.

If you click on the photos to make them larger, you can see the hooked beak, and in the bottom picture you can see that reddish eye.  Turns out, on closer inspection, this is a Red Tailed Hawk, though I have to say, this was one big bird.  It could easily carry Ozzy off for a nice snack if it were so inclined.  Now that Spring is coming, and the raptors are breeding, we will have to keep a close eye on the skies.  When they need to feed their young, they have been known to snatch cats, and Ozzy (now hairless and tiny) is way smaller than a cat.  Ah yes...the joys of living in the wilderness.  Still.  It's a beautiful bird, isn't it..??

Later in the evening, we had a most spectacular sunset.  By the time I got outside with the camera the full glory of it had faded, but I managed a fairly good last photo.  The whole sky was red, for as far as you could see, though I just took this one small section because I liked the contrast with the mountain ridges and trees against the red clouds.

Somehow the morning has flown by, and now it's time for dog walkies.  I'll finish off with these two funny bumper stickers.  If you're interested in seeing more...here's the link, though these were my favorites.  Happy Friday, folks...!!!

Biker Boys Video

This is not the best video.  I tried to be careful so Max wouldn't know I had the camera, but he somehow heard the slight click when I turned on the video, and all bets were off.  I couldn't get him to come anywhere near me, so the video isn't very clear, and you can't see their cool tee shirts.  Buggers.

But anyway...here's a crappy, short glimpse of the two boys at the park.  I'll try again another day.  And look at tiny wee Ozzy...with no hair...**sob**...

Trivia

I had my first sleep in two weeks without cold and cough meds last night.  It didn't go real well, but it's time I get off the sleep aids regardless of the wheezing and nose sniffing.  Unfortunately, I woke up in the dreaded Hour of Regret:  3:00am.  I laid there for what seemed half my life, mostly agonizing about poor Ozzy's scalping.  I had a running film of his past seven years going through my mind of his long, silky hair; how really handsome he was.  It started to make me sick.  I mean crap, one wrong decision on my part, and the poor wee creature is doomed for at least a year before he gets even a semblance of his former hair restored.  It's hard to even look at him, and he's constantly shivering from the cold now.  AArrgghh.  Maybe I'll go back to the medicine and just keep myself knocked out for the next six months.

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On a lighter note.  I found some interesting trivia today, a few goofy photos, and a funny video, so let's take a Thursday Trivia coffee break since I missed Tuesday's.

Later today, if all goes well, I will take the camera with me to the park and try to get some Biker Boys action of the guys in their new duds.

First up is this cute video of a dog named Ernie.  His bed has been usurped by the cat.  He is not happy and wants it back.  His look, at the end of the video, is priceless.

Here's a great website.  It's a How to Do Just About Everything site, with video explanations about...well, just about everything.  It's very informative and interesting.  At least to me.

In case you think the dumbasses of the world aren't still out there, check out these photos.  Epic lock FAILs.  I mean really...what were they thinking..??

Like these methods of securing your bike would actually work..??  There were more lock FAILs if you just can't resist feeling smug that you couldn't possibly be this dumb.  Check it out here.

Another sign that makes absolutely no sense to me.  Again, what does it mean..??  I thought most signs these days were universal; understandable to everyone.  Apparently not.  I wouldn't know what to do if I saw this.

But wait.  I might have just figured this one out.  Have you..??  I'm pretty sure it means don't put a bag over your head.  Okay.  And the little dog on the right must actually be a child.  I get it...!!  This is a choking warning about plastic bags...!!  Course, by the time I have deduced this, I will have choked.

For a bit of Zen today, I give you the yin and yang of cats.  Would that people could mesh so well.

Via Bing

There was a French website a while back that "invented" a book cover for you.  All I had to do was put in the title of my book.  This is what they came up with.  It's sort of cool, though has nothing to do with my story.  Still, interesting what a few words can conjure, though I'll stick to the one I already have, thanks.

And finally, Max My Dream was a pretty fun website, though I have a hard time remembering my dreams so I typed in a short scenario of a vague one.  If you had a really complicated, convoluted dream, it would be very cool to see what the short graphic film would show you.  Oddly, this is a site for Pepcid, a stomach relief medicine.  Go figure.  Maybe if your dreams give you a stomach ache, you will reach for their product..??  Haven't a clue, though it's still an interesting site, no matter the source.

Alrighty then.  That should be enough trivia and wasted time for your coffee break today. 

And now it's time to get the dogs suited up and down the mountain for their walkies.  With any luck I will either have some photos or a short video when we return.  Yeah, yeah, I know...famous last words.

Biker Boys

We went to the pet store and found two hilariously cool shirts for the dogs.  At first, we couldn't find anything that wasn't weird (hoods and fur collars), or stupid (glitter and jewels).  But, back in the corner of the display wall, we found two styles that were great, plus on sale.  I love that they don't look like typical doggie clothes.  The material is lightweight, like a tee shirt, but covers the back and underside of both dogs...all I wanted really.  

Course, for the first walk in their new threads at the park this afternoon, I don't have the camera so expect to see photos tomorrow.  Here's what the shirts look like without dog bodies inside them.

Too funny.  Max is in the silver/white, and Ozzy Rocks.  I might change that around as the shirts are the same size, but will wait until tomorrow.  There's only so much I can put these two wee creatures through in a day...biker boys or not.

And on it goes...

This morning Alan and I were playing on the floor with the dogs when Alan says, "What's this long white hair in Max's ear?"

"What?"

"Max has a weird long white hair in his ear."

I pull Max over and yes, indeed, there is a long white tendril-like thing in his ear.  I give it a gentle tug and it pulls away from a larger white thing, deep inside his ear.  At first I'm scared--what is this?--then I realize it's a cotton ball, shoved nearly to the center of his brain, that the groomer has neglected to remove after his bath.  It takes me some time to get a grip as the cotton keeps shredding, but finally I pull out a wad of cotton that is soaking wet and has been stuffed into Max's ear since yesterday morning.

Can you sense my total and consuming outrage..??  The fluttering nausea in my stomach..??  This poor wee dog has had a soggy cotton ball stuffed inside his ear for 24 hours..!!

I dry out the inside of his ear as best I can, then Alan and I look at each other.  He says, "Either you call, or I do."  Trust me when I say that though I can be really, really cranky, Alan can be worse.  I call the vet's office and ask to speak to our vet, Dr Barry.  He's out today, so I ask who I would talk to about their groomers.  I get the Office Manager.

I start off telling her about Ozzy's scalping.  Thankfully, she knows the Papillon breed, so is just as upset and clueless why the groomer would have given Ozzy a Marine Corps buzz cut.  Then, I tell her about the cotton wad in Max's ear.  Now she is truly not happy as that can lead to an ear infection in no time at all.  And all because the groomer forgot to take the frigging cotton out of his ear...!!!

So, long story short.  Max will get a free exam to make sure his ear isn't screwed up, and she refunded the grooming money, though she said she would rather refund Ozzy's hair, if she could.  We had a long discussion about the groomer, who she assures me is experienced and comes from a long line of groomers in the area.  You bloody could have fooled me.  Neither of us have any explanation why she would have buzz cut a long-haired dog.  The task now lies with her to deal with the groomer.

We are going now to the Co-op to buy Ozzy a sweater because he is shivering without his hair.  And the temperature has plummeted, so it's chilly and windy today.  Of course it is.

OMG...!!!!

Well.  I am nearly speechless.  My brain is still reeling.  We've just returned home from picking the dogs up from the groomer's.  Holy Crap.

The girl at the groomer's asked me what kind of cut for Ozzy.  Usually a groomer knows how to cut a Papillon, but I thought maybe she was asking if I wanted something different.  I said he normally gets a puppy cut:  shorter, trimmed, but still in the proper configuration for his breed.  She asks if I want it as short as Max's.  I blink.  Max has very short hair.  No, says I, just a puppy cut, not all his hair cut off.  We leave.  The dogs are not happy.  I'm not happy, but hey, how bad can it be..??

It can be this bad:

She cut off his trousers--the long bits down his back legs that look exactly like he's wearing pants.  He has no feathers hanging from his ears--a defining trademark of a Pap.  His full chest of hair--which gives him a lion-like appearance--is completely gone, shaved to within half an inch from his skin.  Seriously, it is the worst cut I have ever seen.  It's totally obvious this groomer has either never seen a Pap before in her life, or she doesn't know how to trim one...or both.  Poor, poor Ozzy.  He doesn't know what's happened.  He needed some major cuddling once we got him out of the place.  Unfortunately, so did I.

Max fared a bit better as he just got a wash and toenail clipping, though I fear we have set him back to ground zero in his comfort zone.  He was very upset to be back in a cage, and isn't his usual perky, happy-go-lucky self now.  I think it brought back all his memories of being in doggie jail.

So.  What have we learned from this debacle..??  That everyone has been traumatized, the groomer will never see us again, and I will have to grovel to both dogs for probably an eternity to make this up to them.  Buggers, I hate making wrong choices.

A Bit of Freedom

The boys are off to the groomer's in an hour.  Ozzy looks like a refugee from some doggie relocation camp, and Max needs his toes and stuff trimmed.  We haven't tried this groomer before, but it's next door to the vet and affiliated with them, so we're giving them a try.  It's also just down the mountain from the house, rather than clear across town and halfway to Grants Pass, like the other one we've used since we got here in August.  

I have a hard time "experimenting" like this.  Instead of relishing the few hours of freedom without the dogs, I will spend the time worrying that I've left them at Satan's Dog House.  I know, I know.  Ridiculous.  Unfortunately, several years ago at a very well-known dog store chain, I saw this horrible woman grooming someone's dog and it was truly bad.  I regret to this day that I didn't rat her out to the store manager, plus wait for the owner to show up so I could tell her what this vile woman did to her little dog.  So, thanks to that experience, I am forevermore tainted by the memory and always worry when I leave Ozzy...and now Max.  In Scotland, Ozzy had the best groomer guys in Edinburgh and I never gave it a thought when I left him with them.  I'm just going to cross my fingers that today goes well with this new place.

Alan and I were talking about what exciting thing we could do--between 10:30 and 1:00--then realized we needed to go grocery shopping.  The fun never stops in my world.  Though, maybe, if we can get the shopping done in a timely manner, we can at least go out for lunch.  Assuming I can eat, with a nervous stomach and a big lump of worry in my throat.

I think, at long last, that I am finally on the other side of this cold.  And, what a nightmare it has been.  Definitely learned my lesson about never, ever forgetting to wash my hands after being in the outside world.  Though I am still randomly blowing my nose, and occasionally trying to rearrange my innards with bouts of coughing, I feel much, much better today.

I haven't had time this morning to do my usual surfing for cool photos or videos, so the Tuesday Coffee Break will be postponed.  Maybe later today I can post some things; a cool picture of Ozzy, all handsome and trimmed, for one.  I won't get one of Max, of course, since he runs like the Hounds of Hell are after him the minute I reach for the camera.  I don't know what's up with that.  

Alrighty then.  Off to the groomer's...

Rainbows

I know for those of you buried under snow, or shivering in cold January weather, what I'm going to say next will be totally annoying.  Sorry.

The weather in southern Oregon today is absolutely amazing.  It's warm and sunny, and though the clouds are building over the mountains with rain expected later, you would never in your wildest dreams imagine it was January.  I was just outside with the dogs...in a thin tee shirt and jeans.  Alan and I were laughing about trying this in Edinburgh.  Now, you could do it, but only after hypothermia set in and you were too frozen to know the difference.

We've had torrential rains all weekend, and walking the dogs yesterday along the river was pretty exciting as the Umpqua was flooded and raging.  I took my camera, but with two dogs, an umbrella, a cup of coffee and strong winds...photos just weren't gonna happen.  Once the rains stopped, sometime last night, this warm tropical breeze kicked in, the temps rose, and wow, I think I can smell Hawaii in the air.  Which isn't a joke.  The warm weather system is coming from Hawaii..!!  A far cry from the systems which used to come from Norway and slam into Scotland's east coast, that's for sure.

Here are some pictures I took a few minutes ago.  You can see the next storm coming over the Coast Range, but behind me it's blue skies and sunshine...hence the rainbow, obviously.  It looks like a beam of color coming right out of a hole in the clouds, doesn't it..??

For most of the year we can't see the Umpqua River from the house because of the trees along its banks.  In the winter, it's a whole different scenario, with the river clearly visible.

I love this closer shot, particularly the way it seems like you're viewing the layered ridges as they climb into the mountains through colored air.

It's way too nice to stay indoors, so we're heading off with the dogs to the park.  Hopefully, with this unexpectedly glorious weather, the adventure won't be the usual Swamp Walk.  

Hey.  I can dream, can't I..??

Stormy Sunday

We are experiencing a monumental rain storm today...well, actually it started last night and hasn't let up since.  Buckets of rain and lots of flooding in rivers and streams all up and down the Pacific NW.  I really don't mind, especially on a Sunday which should be a lazy, do-nothing day anyway, though I will no doubt change my mind when it comes to the dog walk later.  If it's raining as hard then, as now, I don't think we will be leaving the mountain today.  The dogs can just use the very servicable back garden instead.

I think I'll go bake something, though don't know what yet.  Cake, cupcakes, cookies...??  Or maybe I'll make a big pot of soup.  I need some inspiration but so far--on this dreary, stormy day--inspiration seems to still be in bed, sound asleep.  Don't I wish...

My humor might not be appreciated by some, but I can't imagine anyone not laughing at this video.  The mother is trying to make the babe crawl, or move, or something...but then...

I swear, I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face.  Maybe I just have a very warped sense of humor...??  Nah.  It's just downright funny...though next time, Mum..??  You might want to lighten up on that baby powder.  (Courtesy of Videobash)

Here's a good one, too.  What in the world could it mean..??  Saw off part of the chair you're sitting in..??  There's no red slash across the symbol--meaning don't do this--so I guess in Switzerland, it's okay..??  I'm truly clueless on this one.

Okay, best get into the kitchen and decide what damage I can do.  After I stop laughing at that baby video...

Rambles

The refrigerator was exchanged yesterday, and the new one looks as good as a new one should.  So that whole deliver/install fiasco is over.  I've used the new dishwasher--what a dream machine it is..!!--rearranged the shelving in the fridge, and the reshuffling in the freezer.  All is good.

The boys are doing very well together, though unfortunately Ozzy is teaching Max two of his most annoying habits: barking like a loon before we go on a walk, and running off with wild abandon on the off-chance that a bird in the bush is really a squirrel.  Yesterday at the park, Oz took off like a Greyhound with Max right on his heels.  I gave chase before they both ended up in the blasted river, slipped in the swamp/bog that is the grass these days, and ended up falling with a great splat into the mud.  I was covered, from shoes to jeans to nearly the top of my coat.  It goes without saying that I was most definitely NOT a happy girl.  Max is usually the most obedient little creature...until Ozzy leads him astray.  Funny how good habits aren't picked up, but the bad ones are.

I'm feeling a tad better today, though last night I was convinced a lung transplant was in my future.  I swear, if I had coughed any harder, my internal organs would have become external.  Somehow though, I had a good night's sleep for a change, and today I think it just might be possible that I'm on the mend.  Maybe.  I'm hesitant on this because I thought a few days ago that I was better, then had a relapse.

Here's a heads-up to anyone in my email Contacts list, and a very sincere apology:

Yesterday morning I was writing a comment on a Yahoo article--something I rarely do.  No big deal, just me giving a very brief opinion on what I was reading.  Later in the day, Alan says, "I had a really hard time deleting that comment you made."  I look at him blankly.  (What comment..??  I'm thinking in my head).

Turns out, when I made the comment, for some unknown and inexcusable reason, Yahoo decided to send the article/comment to everyone in my Contacts list.  NO, no, a hundred times no...!!!!!  I have never signed up for any such thing to happen, nor are my contacts EVER be used by anyone but me. 

I was outraged.  






I immediately thought my only recourse would be to send an apology email to everyone, explaining this debacle, then realized I would be spamming my own spam.  Oh, the humanity.  Trust me folks, I will never comment on a Yahoo article again.  I should sue the bastards for their invasion of my privacy.

So.  Mea culpa, and I'm really sorry if you got some stupid email--supposedly from me--regarding a Yahoo article.  It was accidental on my part...criminal on Yahoo's.

On a lighter note:  Two good signs for a Saturday smile.  This first one is a very clever bumper sticker/car window sign.

This one is just plain embarrassing.  A bit hard to sell the product with this example, I should think...

Via Miss Cellania

The weather is amazingly warm today--60*, if you can believe that for a mid-January day.  We're going to switch around our routine for the dog walkies and leave in a few minutes, rather than after lunch as we usually do.  I'm trying to get a bigger block of time in the afternoons that doesn't include dogs, walks, or mud.

Which reminds me:  I need to put a change of clothes in the car...just in case.