Safari Weekend

Yes - I went on Safari sitting at my dining room table this weekend having breakfast. Well - that's where I started the safari. After I finished my cereal and tea I moved the computer into the kitchen so I could continue along. I've always been fond of Nature shows - from the time I was a child watching Marlin Perkins and the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom shows up to the present with National Geographic, Animal Planet and the Discovery channels. It's a bounty out there!

This is a spotted Hyena who was wandering down the road and was startled by the jeep sitting there with people taking his photo. He bolted into the bush shortly after this!
This is a young male elephant who was "mock" charging the jeep. I'm glad the guide knows MOCK charging!

A Momma and her calf - a little later they shot mud - playfully - at the jeep.

This is a Kingfisher - makes a neat sound (Melinda and Gail would like that)

This is a leopard sleeping in the tree - and he didn't wake for Anyone or Anything.

This is Pieter - South African guide. Another reason to tune in on Saturday and Sunday mornings having my coffee.....

So check it out some morning - you can get there by clicking on ild Earth,W or if you just like to sit passively and watch - try National Geographic site - Petes Pond. You can link from there to other wonderful live cams of different animals. 

Cookie Wars

I was asked to explain the cookie war because I mentioned it on Facebook. This is the cookie/bone in question. Sitting so gently on a slightly chewed rawhide bone. Each one of the dogs got one at Christmas. They don't eat them right away. They like to guard them and hide them. Gaston carried his around for days, hid it and then suddenly one day it was just gone. Carmel on the other hand guarded hers for awhile, then decided to bury it in a planter on the patio for a week or so (see earlier blog).





It's almost a week now and you can see evidence above that it's actually being "chewed". And it's also the center of the weeks tug-of-war. Which one of them will reign supreme? It got so bad that Carmel would not even leave the house to go potty without the bone - evidence below...





Results so far are that Camel has won. She has turned into a regular little demon growling at Gaston if he even came near the side of the room she is with her bone. I've tried to capture her wrath, but she turns into a pussycat when she sees the camera. She is really so "quiet" you may have to turn up the speakers to hear her baby growl. .






I got this video because Gaston could not get back across the room - Carmel had him trapped in a corner and she was NOT letting him go by without an argument. I just wish I could have caught it when she jumped at him. I think Jason would be impressed with her ferocity! Gaston on the other hand was remarkably calm and seemed to know that Mommom would come to his rescue.

It's insane to think that they can get so fixated over one bone since there are at least a dozen other chewies on the floor as I post this blog. And I post another blog about the dogs because it's a way I can share the everyday joy of them with everyone - especially Melinda who misses them so much!

Cold and Flu Season - and allergy maladies

That's what they used to call this time of year. Usually coming off the holidays everyone is tired and run down and with the cold winter weather apt to catch the latest bug going around. It sure is different tho from when I was a kid. You didn't hear much about "allergies" back then. People had them, but they were the minority. Nowadays you are in the minority if you DON'T have some type of allergy. You can't convince me that all the chemicals and preservatives you find in everything today isn't causing all these allergies. And who invents these chemicals and preservatives? Maybe the same people who invent the Drugs that cure the side effects from the chemicals and preservatives? Hmmmm.....maybe I SHOULD have taken chemistry. Something to be said for the legal drug trade.

Anyhow - PREVENTION: My parents taught us to wash our hands, don't eat anything that was on the floor - COMMON SENSE THINGS. Today's parents are trying to "antibacterial" their children to death (which I believe is just making them more prone to germs, but that is just my opinion) CURE: well, back when I was a kid you pretty much had aspirin, orange juice, chicken noodle soup and Vicks VapoRub. (applied with love by Mom to your chest and covered with a warm washcloth).

Cure nowadays - well you can go cross-eyed at the local drug store trying to find an over-the-counter remedy for the sniffles. There are entire aisles - both sides - four or five shelves high filled with anything you can think of to ease your stuffy-runny nose, sore scratchy throat, itchy eyes - you name it - they got it. It's no wonder when friends were here from England years ago they almost went into shock when I took them into Acme, (another blog).

My personal recommendations for these ills that fall upon me when the weather goes from 28 degrees to 40 degree and my body says - what the Hell are you doing to me? My Mother's old-fashioned cures, but I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND Breathe Right nasal strips . If you have EVER laid your head down on the pillow at night and had your nose stuff up immediately - these are for you. Once you get past the strange feel on your nose you will see what I mean. I am a walking commercial for them. I should get a commission - or at least coupons for a couple boxes of them.

Oh well - hope everyone is staying healthy in their own way.

Carmel

This is Carmel. The first time we brought her home she was very skittish and only bonded with Melinda. She bit me and pooped on my shoes. One of the first things that was very noticeable was that she forgot who you were if you showered. It took awhile for her to recognize Melinda out of the shower with a towel on her head. She is special. Took even longer to like me.

That being said - almost 2 years later - we don't have that problem. Well - not coming out of the shower anymore, but she didn't recognize me with my new winter coat - barked at me when I put the hood up.

Everyone that knows me or Melinda knows about Carmel and how special she is. She is so strange it makes her adorable. Tonight was no exception. I have been suffering with allergies and after almost a week I don't have much of a voice - laryngitis is setting in quickly. And yes - you guessed it - she won't come near me. She ran from the room when I greeted them tonight. Tail wagging until I said hello. As long as I don't talk to her I'm okay. I suppose that's good since I should be resting my voice, but it's been fun to watch her reaction. Growling and tail wagging. It's like one end doesn't know what the other end is doing.

Gotta love her.

Remember When?

Remember when you could just twist off the cap of a bottle of Tylenol? Before they were triple sealed in plastic, combination lock cap then that silver foil seal you need a knife to pierce. Gives you a headache just trying to get a pill doesn't it? I just had a fight with two Comtrex. That is my drug of choice for the moment with my allergies in full bloom. I feel miserable. Came home from work early but I stopped at the store to purchase some juice and Comtrex (because they have an AM and PM in the same package). As my tea water started I took out the packet of pills. All individually packed in hermetically sealed little bubbles. Need to take two - so why don't they put TWO in one of the bubbles ? Never mind. Just peel off the back. WRONG. Why do they do that? You need an Engineering degree to open this crap. I ended up taking a knife and stabbing the damn package to get my pills out. Don't they realize sick people don't have the patience to fight with packaging like this?

OH - I REALLY miss the days when you could just pop open a lid and get your meds. Before the crazy people with nothing better to do decided they wanted to poison everyone for shits and giggles. It was easier back then. People trusted each other. There is no trust anymore - everyone is cynical - suspicious.

Whatever. Remember when you were younger and mothers and fathers had children one at a time? Rarely did you hear about the multiples we do nowadays because of all the options to conceive we have. Maybe it's because I'm not feeling well and haven't slept soundly in two nights but I'm really pissed about this Mother of Octuplets. I certainly don't think that the State of California should be footing the bill for these kids and part of me is thinking that DCS should take them from her and put them with people who can give them a better life. Does anyone really believe she did this without having an ulterior motive? Book? Movie? Another TV show? Are any of you going to line up to get on her website to send money and gifts? What's to stop the next person from doing the same thing? If I wasn't sick it would make me sick. Boo Hoo for her.

Oh well - it really was a beautiful day - certainly not a February day. More like an April day. The nice part about having to work was that we had the windows and doors open - let a nice fresh air run thru the place. Maybe it will blow out the germs that has everyone sick - clear the air.

Time to get ready for Lost. That should put the icing on the cake for the day. It my brain wasn't addled from feeling sick all day - Lost will definitely put me deeper into the fog. I should sleep well then.

Chihuahua Meet

Yes - that's Carmel and Gaston looking so delighted. This was their first Chihuahua Meet (and mine) and the theme was Western. A lot of the Chi's were all dressed up in some type of denim overall, bandannas, and other various costume, but there were a few, like my own that don't take to dressing up with good humor.

It was held at their day-care center - Canine Creature Comforts which is the major reason why we joined the group. We've not been to day-care in quite awhile, but we still go in and miss them. Hopefully we will be able to get back soon since it really does them good to mingle. Anyhow..... the meet started at noon and everyone just wandered around and chatted while the dogs played. Or, if you were Carmel and Gaston you stayed under my feet only to wander off briefly. Two of their friends from day-care were there - Bailey and Bandit - so they weren't all strangers.

Like dogs really notice or care? We spend so much time humanizing them we forget they are just dogs. So - back to the meet. There was a birthday and there was a doggie birthday cake. Which all the dogs devoured. The young woman who ran the meet made all sorts of doggie treats and had wonderful gift baskets for the winners of the best dressed contest as well.

There was a race held and the first time there was a false start. Carmel never really knew she was supposed to leave the starting point. She just kinda wandered around in a circle looking for me. The second time she and Gaston did actually leave the start - Gaston ran like hell - running over some of the smaller dogs to get to me - but he came in second! Carmel brought up the rear - no way she was going to RUN for anything or anyone. She was having a trying day anyway - too much excitement had her panting so much she was shaking and wheezing.

All things considered, they had a wonderful time and they were great with all the people there. No demon dogs today - they allowed people to pet them AND even pick them up. They came home tired and only too happy to go back to their normal routine of resting on the sofa. Once a month meets are enough for these Chi's.

Week-end Update.......

Isn't that the name of a show ? Well - the computer is working fine - I figured everything out and this weekend got a wireless router. Now I don't have to sit in the little spare room - I can bring the computer into any room. It was a major event to be able to actually get the router set up and rather than take a chance of screwing it up I called the Linksys support line and they finished it up. They told me that I did everything right up till then but given the opportunity to let someone who really knows what they are doing do it I will definitely take that option.

So now I can bring the computer into the living room when I am watching TV. I haven't any idea why. I do multi-task, but when I watch TV that's all I am going to be doing. And speaking of TV, I am turning into a Reality TV junkie. With a DVR in the house it's so easy to tape and catch it later, and there is NO shortage of these shows. It started out innocently enough with Wife Swap or Trading Spouses, and has escalated to Brett Michaels and his hunt for true love - this season on a tour bus. I didn't think it possible they could find more skanky females than they did for Flava Flav, but they did. Skanky isn't even harsh enough. I think watching these shows makes me feel better about myself - my life. When I feel down I just tune in to any channel and I can find another show. Brides from hell - super weddings - redneck weddings - celebrities in rehab - and rich people in CA, Atlanta and New York. I found one thing tho - whether they are the rich females from wherever - or Brett's skanky girls - they are all shallow, self-centered, and equally easy to dislike. I openly admit to watching these shows - I know some who won't!

Anyhow - fun week coming up. Melinda is coming for a quick visit tomorrow night. She and Carly will be getting together for dinner then she'll come home here. I am going to go in late Tuesday so we can have a nice morning together and have breakfast before she head back off to Virginia. Next weekend we will be attending our first ever Chihuahua Meet. Hopefully we will have lots of fun things to report back. Everyone knows how sociable the kids are.