Sliding Down the Highway Sideways in a Canoe

Another Blog Hop

2015-09-03T16:29:00.004-05:00

In case anyone is looking for me I'm now at queenhighmistress.blogspot.com.

289 - Just some pics

2015-03-06T07:16:00.000-06:00

Mr. Bo-Bo taking advantage of a rare foray into the front yard

Cardinal Richelieu

Snow on the deck

Footprints in the snow

Pretty, fluffy bird

Bluebird babies

Lady Richelieu

Hello!

Daisy Bear paw print

House finches

Finches, cardinals and blackbirds

Daisy is fascinated by the activity at the bird feeder

Redwinged blackbird

Junco

Gorgeous bluebird

Mr. Bo-Bo getting rowdy in the snow

I'm gonna get you Daisy Bear!

I'm not scared of you.

Frozen mailbox

Pics from earlier in the year... our woodpecker

Mr. Bo-Bo's GQ shot

Mr. Bo-Bo's coy look... so spoiled, that used to be my blanket...

It's been a while

2014-10-28T20:47:00.003-05:00

Been spending most of my energy on the Mr. Bo-Bo books and mrbobobook.com. Finished Bo-Bo the Destroyer and got a proof in the mail today. Needed to make a couple of minor changes but overall I'm very happy with it and it's poised to debut on November 11th. In conjunction with that, the Mr. Bo-Bo and the Waggy-Tails eBook will be available for free download on Amazon.com from November 11 - 15 and I've posted that on several sites that promote that kind of thing, hoping to gain some visibility from it.

And then I made a website/book trailer that I posted on a few sites as well. You can click here to watch it.

Aside from that, it's been all about the birds. Two little bluebirds hit the window the other day. One of them didn't make it but the other one did. I know it's not my fault but it still makes me sad. I wasn't 100% sure it was dead so I put it in the bird garden, deep in the foliage so the cats wouldn't see it, and he didn't move. The other one took a while to get over the shock, but once it started moving around I put it on the magnolia tree where it stayed for a while before moving on.

At first she held onto the limb with one leg while the other dangled off the side so when I went out and saw her puffed up against the cold and gripping the branch with both feet I knew she'd be okay.

The barn. Had a chat with the neighbor about property boundaries and that needs to be sorted out... supposedly he has a surveyor coming out to take care of that. But him clearing the brush did allow me to get this shot of the barn.

Fall!

Daisy barking at the moo cows.

A vulture roosting in our tree. That's a first.

Woodpeckers

The laughing woodpecker helping himself to some magnolia seeds.

The one clear shot I managed to get

Fly away...!

287 - Cream Cheese Frosting Fluff

2014-07-28T20:57:00.003-05:00

I wish I could take credit for the creation of this recipe, but I can only take credit for the modification of it.

It is based on a delicious low-carb, high-protein version of ice cream that (I hope) is THM-friendly, because I've been eating it every single night for dessert. And I share it, grudgingly, with my husband... but I really, really want to eat the whole the thing myself.

The original recipe has a lemon and a chocolate-almond version. The chocolate always seems to come out sour, even after I left the almond extract so I can only assume that the bitterness of the chocolate needs something to balance it and I haven't quite figured out what that is. But the lemon version, slightly modified, is heavenly.

So the base I use is pretty much the same:

1 cup of cottage cheese
1/4 cup egg whites
1 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin
Splash of vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Xylitol + 2 doonks of Stevia (about 1/8 tsp)

Then you add the additional flavorings and blend it up. I have used my Blendtec and a Magic Bullet and both work great. If your blender can handle the cottage cheese-based THM shakes, then it will handle this ice cream batter just fine. After that, transfer the batter to your ice cream maker, or I suppose you could stick it in the freezer but I haven't tried that. My ice cream maker takes between 30-60 minutes to churn it up.

For the Lemon Ice Cream variation, which tastes like Lemon Sherbet, you would add:
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting Fluff version I made the base and added:
1 Tbsp of Butter-Vanilla emulsion
A capful of McCormick's Rum extract (probably 1/4 tsp)

Blend it all up and taste it. It would probably make an amazing shake at this point, but to turn it into ice cream, I proceeded to the next step and started freezing it. But unlike the lemon version, it didn't freeze. Perhaps because of the emulsion I used instead of an extract? Either way, it's still tasty and I would say it either become a mousse, or a whipped frosting similar to Cool Whip but healthier and better tasting. I assume if I had the patience to put it in the freezer for a few hours it might become similar in texture to Gelato.

A note on the ingredients in case there are questions:

I have used 1% and 4% cottage cheese and both work fine, I suppose they're the difference between making it an FP ice cream or an S but someone who is more knowledgeable than me should probably clarify that
I use the egg whites in the carton since this is not cooked
The vegetable glycerin helps keep the mixture smooth and creamy and adds a bit of extra sweetness. You don't have to use it, I don't know if it's on-plan or not, but it's a low-glycemic sweetener.
You can use whichever plan-approved sweetener you wish
Specific products I used are in my Bought It-Loved It list on the sidebar because some people want exact brands and where to find them, some don't care.
The original author did state that if you keep the (lemon) ice cream in the freezer for more than a couple of hours it becomes a block of ice, but she microwaves it for about 15 seconds and it's fine. Mine has never lasted long enough to test that theory.

I'm going to go enjoy my fluff now, if you try it out let me know how you like it!

286 - The Canary Made EASY

2014-07-27T11:33:00.001-05:00

People who are doing THM will know and understand how delicious, the Singing Canary is. But as much as I love it - and I do love it - it can be tedious and time consuming to make. The effort involved in peeling the lemons can be off-putting - and then what do you do with the lemon peel when you're done? Because I don't know about you, but my husband loves it too, so I make double batches...

The other day my husband and I were talking and we thought, why couldn't we just peel the lemon instead of using a paring knife? So we tried it. Not only does it cut the time and effort in half, it also left me with a beautiful, almost pith-free strip of lemon peel. So... I exert less effort and leave more of the beneficial pith on the lemon to blend into my drink.

So I thought I would share some tips to make life easier and also ideas on what to do with all that lemon peel - because it seems a shame to waste it and it certainly does pile up!

Ladies, meet your new best friend. It is a soft flesh peeler. And here's what it looks like in action:

This is what it looks like when you're done.

This one has serrated edges which makes it work for things like lemons and tomatoes (yes tomatoes) so I don't know how a regular peeler would handle it, but if you try one let me know.

This is the second gadget that has made my life easier, a simple flat-bottomed mesh sink strainer that you stick in a drain. I use this one specifically for food. I have one in my sink that has a rounded bottom, and it pretty much lives there, but JUST IN CASE the two ever end up somewhere else, the one I use for food has a flat bottom. And that works better for my purposes anyway. I got this one at Walmart. Another tip: they make great sifters.

I can't believe how perfectly it fits. I bought a couple of pitchers that are slim and hold 2 quarts each and I'm actually about to buy another set now that I know I like them. I want to have drinks on the counter ready and waiting for me. So I can make the Canary, the Shrinker, some lemon water or lemonade, and my husband can make a pitcher of tea to drink throughout the day.

So basically I sit the strainer in the mouth of the pitcher and pour the blended lemon-water mix through the mesh. I stir it with my finger and tap it to get the last of the water out, then I dump the pulp into the trashcan (until I find a better way to use it). So I do that a few times as I'm pouring and then rinse it off right away so any little bits of lemon don't have time to dry and get stuck on the mesh... because nobody like a messy mesh. :)

This is what I'm left with once I've stirred it around.

And this is a gorgeous looking double batch of Canary. It makes me happy just looking at it.

But I'd much rather drink it.

I enjoy sipping my drinks through a straw, and instead of using, and continually purchasing, flimsy plastic straws I bought stainless steel straws. I use them every day. Makes it feel fun. I don't know why, but straws just do that for me.

So that's how I do it. Makes my life easier, and the easier something is, the more likely I'm going to stick with it.

If you want to know exactly what I used, I keep a list off to the side of my posts where I put all the things I love or want (in case I have to replace them or want to buy/get them as a gifts). I know a lot of people tend to have questions because not everything is available everywhere and it just makes life easier sometimes.

And last, but not least, here are some ways you could use the lemon peel:

Blend them up with water and make lemony ice cubes (<---lots of great ideas for flavored ice)

Lemon salt or lemon pepper

Garlic-Lemon infused olive oil

Candied lemon peel (with xylitol or erythritol)

Kale salad with preserved lemon and walnuts

Other ideas I had... you could make potpourri with it... lemon infused vodka... grate it over your fish... use it in a dry rub... so there's no need to toss the peels!

If you have any tips, tricks and ideas to streamline the drink making process, other ways to use the lemon peel, or what you do with your pulp please leave a comment so we can all learn!

285 - Busy bee

2014-07-24T22:00:00.003-05:00

I've been working on the first two books, creating a Facebook page, a website and a blog. So I've been pretty busy the last couple of days. I'm not nearly done but I guess in a lot of ways I'm close. I hope to launch everything in the next 30 days or so. With any luck my timing will be good, I'll catch the eyes of the right people, word will spread and that'll be that - the next 50 Shades of Gray... for kids. :) I suppose there are similarities... dog collars and such... hahaha, I've never actually read the series, it was tempting until I read the reviews and then I wondered how it was so successful if everybody hated it... and I decided to wait for the movie.

So here is the website still a work in progress: Click here

You can access the blog from the website, but to make it easy, this is the link to my first post: Click here

This is the Facebook page: Click here

And I'm working on Good Reads and Pinterest pages but I have to be published to get an Author's page on Good Reads. I'll also need to write an Author's Profile for Amazon when I upload the book. And then I'll start working on the other ten books. Are you tired? I'm tired.

These are the covers I worked up. I admit I'm not the best cover artist in the world but for what I had to work with, and my abilities, I'm a little proud. The background for the first cover is supposed to suggest a cage, the second one is a messy room with toys everywhere.

The stories are pretty much written and edited, I am just adding pictures at this point and doing some formatting.

I alternate between proud and excited, to anxious and doubtful. But I guess that's the life of a writer. At least I have friends and family to keep me motivated or sometimes I might walk away from it because it's scary to do this. But at the same time, I have to try.

284 - Haitus

2014-07-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

Been busy doing odd jobs here and there, looking for odd jobs, and writing. I've got twelve stories now... rough drafts only, nothing polished and ready to go. I need to pick the best one and start polishing so I can submit it to an agent and I have narrowed down three agents that I would really like to work with, and several others that just don't seem as enthusiastic but say they rep the kind of book I write. I've been down this road before but this path feels more clear if that makes sense... I have a good feeling about it and I'm hopeful.

Not much going on other than that and me finishing four seasons of Parenthood in the last couple of weeks. I keep the tv on in the background while I'm on the computer unless I have to really concentrate on something.

I took the dogs out to potty and saw a large bird shadow move across the lawn. I figured it was a vulture but sometimes we have hawks. I looked up and saw two tiny little birds chirping their butts off and a vulture swooping and circling nearby. At first I thought the vulture was chasing them but that seemed kind of weird because vultures usually only eat dead things, right? And then I realized the vulture was running away from the chirping little birds who were chasing *him*. They ran him in three or four circles and he kept diving lower and lower. I think he landed on the street but the hay in the field was too high for me to see.

Bo got very excited (bird!) and wanted to get in on the action so he ended up on two legs with his leash supporting him, trying to see where the giant bird was. Daisy took that as a sign that he wanted to play so she charged him and then they starting chasing each other (always fun to be holding the leashes when that happens). Finally I got them untangled, the vulture got away, and the two little birds were joined by a third. I couldn't tell if they gave each other high fives or just said, 'way to go man' but they seemed pretty happy... So much for the vulture's street cred.

So now I'm in here sipping on a Canary and contemplating a short lawn mowing session. It rained yesterday but is clear and sunny today. It's not terribly hot though, and the grass is getting to the point that it needs to be mowed so I think it's the perfect day for it.

So what is a Canary you ask? It's a THM drink. I haven't had a soda in two weeks. I've been drinking ice water and ICE drinks (black raspberry, orange-mango and lemon-lime). The ICE was keeping me satisfied because it was 0 carbs and 0 calories with sweet, fizzy liquid. It had sucralose in it, which I don't know much about, but it isn't a "plan approved sweetener" and I did notice that any time I had an ICE... bad things happened in my gut. Really bad things. So I finished the last of it and I'm not planning to buy more. I loved the raspberry flavor though...

So I started looking through the THM facebook page. I had seen some of their drink recipes before and even tried Good Girl Moonshine which was pretty good but not something I'd want every day. I ran across the Canary which was a gorgeous yellow and purported to taste like a creamy lemonade so I gave it a shot. It's also supposed to be good for people with adrenal fatigue and since I've considered the possibility that I have AF, I figure it's win-win. It's lemons and vitamin C and turmeric and coconut oil and vanilla and sea salt... it all sounds funky, but blended together it's awesome (once you figure our how much sweetener to use). I sip on 3-4 quarts of it and then switch to The Shrinker which tastes like a Starbuck's Cold Chai Tea Latte. I normally abhor tea, but I've always like those because of all the spices, the milk and the sweet taste. I was very doubtful about it but I'm glad I tried it. They have lots of good stuff.

The hardest part of sticking to a 'diet' or learning a new way of eating, for me, has always been the restrictions or having to track every single little thing and every calorie associated with it. With THM there aren't really restrictions, there's just a different approach. I can have dessert as long as I use a low glycemic sweetener and use almond flour or peanut flour or coconut flour in place of regular flour. I can have drinks that taste good but don't have high fructose corn syrup in them. I ordered some cola extracts because I know I'll be wanting a soda at some point... I just like the flavor and the bubbles and all that so I will eventually cave if I don't find a satisfactory substitute. So I'm planning to make a simple syrup with xylitol instead of sugar and use that and cola extract in some fizzy water to simulate the cola experience.

It is hard though to change the rest of my eating habits... I am used to hamburgers and fries... chicken wings and fries... pizza... pasta... now I have hamburgers without a bun and have to find another side to eat. I CAN have chicken wings so I had celery and carrot sticks with ranch instead of the fries. I can have pizza but have to make a different kind of crust. I can have pasta but it has to be a special pasta like Dreamfield's that's low carb. I don't know how I'll avoid chips and salsa, but the great thing is I can have them if I want, and I can get back on plan with my next meal. It's not a failure, it's life. I've lost about 5 lbs so far and probably a few inches because the shorts that were tight a couple of weeks ago were a little loose a couple of days ago. So I'm hoping it works for me like it has seemed to work for everyone else... lose weight, feel better, have energy, yada-yada-yada.

Alright, enough procrastinating, it's time to mow... it hasn't really sunk in yet that I have a riding mower so I still have a tendency to dread the whole process... but it really is much easier now and goes by in a jif.

283 - Miscellany

2014-06-18T20:26:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow our freezer should be delivered and the lawnmower repair guy will be out to look at the mower. Tomorrow is a big day. We're hoping we get a replacement mower because with the warranty we would get the list price, and it's currently on sale so we would make a few bucks.

Mike is in Utah for the next couple of months. We got up at four this morning to head to the airport because he had a 7:30 flight and it takes anywhere from 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours depending on traffic. Of course traffic was light at that hour, but we ended up behind two cars as we turned from our street to the main road which was a little surprising. So I got home about 9'ish, and once the dogs calmed down we all went back to bed for a little while. I could have slept longer, but I don't want to mess myself up for sleep tonight. The dogs don't seem to be concerned with that, they're down for the count right now.

Speaking of, cute picture of The Bo-Bos... With the food we feed them now his fur has gotten softer and he doesn't shed as much. Smells less doggy too.

Shrimp tacos with roasted broccoli that I made the other day. It just looked pretty. And I was proud of it since I love shrimp/fish tacos but they seemed intimidating. But they were easy peasy and good. Probably pretty healthy too.

We left the harness on after our walk to the creek and Bo just laid there with the front piece in his mount. It looked funny.

Daisy loves the Nylabone. She chews on it a lot. She is a chewer. We can't go outside to potty or go on a walk without her picking up a stick to chew on. I'll say this for her, she gets her fiber... She has the cutest puppy dog eyes.

Mike had me cut the sleeves off a t-shirt, so I took the sleeve and adorned Bo. He is so patient with us...

Patient, but not particularly happy...

Moooooooooooom...

Daisy is also patient...

Mike hid behind the curtains to try and scare Bo. It didn't exactly work, but it looked creepy.

I finally figured out a solution for the bathroom mirror, and it was such a perfect solution because we put the tv on our dressing table in the bedroom, rendering the mirror useless and making it look out of place. I had been contemplating whether or not the mirror would fit in the bathroom so I measured it and happily, it is perfect. Even more perfect, the wall anchors I put in for the smaller mirror are in the perfect spot for this mirror to hang, so I didn't have to do anything but hang it (which wasn't necessarily easy, but I managed).

Speaking of curtains. Mike reinstalled the curtains. They are also perfect because the backer board is nice and decorative, and the curtains are up higher. They don't drag the ground anymore so they not only look better, they are far less likely to be pulled down by the dogs when they play. I like curtains...

So I guess that's been my day... I've been applying for little jobs here and there to see if I can bring in a decent income from home. We'll see. Any money I make is money that we can set aside as savings and once we have a cushion the rest of the money can be used for projects around the house and fun. It would be nice to have fun again... I miss fun...

282 - Late Spring

2014-06-10T23:32:00.002-05:00

We finally have a riding lawnmower... or will on Thursday evening when it's delivered!!! We went to a Sears Outlet on Monday and found a decent deal, so I'm excited and Mike is excited that we will be able to mow the lawn in a lot less time, and more of it. Over time we can also add implements and attachments to it that will increase its capabilities and make it more useful. And we finally bought a freezer (online) that will be delivered the following week. They had some at the outlet but we compared prices and the difference between the prices was only $100 so we went with a new, unblemished freezer with free delivery instead of paying $85 at the outlet, worked out about the same at that rate.

So today we smoked a brisket. We've been craving one for a while because the last one was soooo good. I got up and made more of the rub we concocted last time.

And I soaked some wood chips

In the meantime, Lady Richelieu dropped in for a visit

And Daisy helped dad get the fire going.

Which was something of a feat, since it started to rain about an hour into the cook time... So Mike created this Seussian creation to keep the fire and smoke going.

The hummingbird dropped in for a visit

The dogs are very focused when it comes to treat time.

Bo doesn't like it when Daisy gets her treat first.

But he gets a treat too

And lightning fast, he jumps up to snatch it.

Daisy is a good sitter.

The hydrangea is blooming. The poofs are kind of small right now but they're getting bigger and bigger. I can't wait until it really bushes out. I'm so jealous of the ones at Ashford Castle in Ireland, but I suppose those have had decades to grow while mine is a mere summer old.

I have six rose buds. I guess you would call them teacup roses? They're smaller and more carnation-like than a typical rose. I've only seen one blossom so far so I think it will be really pretty when it blooms.

I have either a bell pepper or jalapeno about to grow, I can't remember which one I planted here.

The sycamore is really branching out. Leaves formed and then grew into little stems where more leaves grew. I'm glad because that final freeze we had killed the first leaves that grew. The top of the stem is still bare, but the bottom half is very much alive.

Lots of magnolias blooming. This one is older...

And these are about to bloom

We have blackberries in the process of ripening. LOTS of them.

This grew from the birdseed... it sort of looks like corn but I'm not sure if it is because I don't see any kernels in the feeder. I did have a different kind in the feeder before this though.

Not sure what this is, but it doesn't look friendly

And this looks like wheat...

I have one tomato and four potential tomatoes. I can't wait. Chocolate Cherokee tomatoes. Yum.

Speaking of Cherokee, I met an Apache at the Folk Medicine Festival last weekend. He was very nice. He said that I could go to college for free since I have Indian blood (two or three generations back?)... really wish I had known this when I went to college... but I suppose if I decide to pursue a different degree I could maybe check into it.

Tomorrow we are going to clean the basement so Mike can get back to fixing the curtain setup, making it more sturdy so the dogs can't pull it down so easily... And sometime soon we should be putting up a fence. A friend has a bunch of chainlink that he doesn't want, probably enough for half an acre, and he's practically giving it to us. I can't wait... it'll make life so much easier, the dogs can run free and we will only have to leash them if we walk them or take them out front. :)

Then I can start amending the soil for next year's garden since I pretty much missed out this year. Being able to mow the field will make it possible to actually see the ground... so I will also start back with my gardening course. A new module gets unlocked every month so I just have to watch the videos and read, but it's pretty fascinating stuff and the videos are broken up into short sections. And I found a free permaculture course so I'm going to check that out too. I feel like we're finally going to make some progress in making this place ours, finally settling in. We know what we want it to be, and it's going to take some time, but it's going to be amazing, and each little piece is going to make a huge difference.

281 - Home Again, Home Again, Jig-a-Jig-Jig

2014-05-31T21:51:00.003-05:00

Mike should be home tomorrow. Not sure which path we'll take after that... three options on the table that we need to discuss. Seems like he's been gone forever. We'll have to reconfigure the sleeping arrangements so all of us fit in the bed...

In the meantime we have been keeping ourselves busy here at the 'ol homestead.

Managed to pull the curtains down. Twice... so Mike's going to have to fix that when he gets home, and I may have to hem them as well. Despite my soft speaking voice, I apparently engage my diaphragm when I am angry and I project my voice in a manner sufficient to send two dogs tearing ass into the mancave to lay quietly on the sofa while I calm down. I don't lay a hand on them, don't intend to, and I don't like to yell either, but I have my limits.

After the melee there is consternation.

And angst.

Pretty yellow bird. I will need to refill the feeder soon or Cardinal Richelieu and his lady friend will chastise me.

Some of us were digging for moles in the yard...

They're very spirited when they dig, and work as a team.

This used to be ropey (which used to be a duck... ropey evolves).

Now it's a shredded pile of orange fiber, but they still play with it. I wish I could be so content chewing on rope.

At night they sometimes aren't quite ready to sleep, but if I give them ropey, they will quietly chew on it until they are ready to close their eyes. It's magic. For the most part, they seem to understand that when they come to bed, it's quiet time... they can still "play," but qui-et-ly. And ever since Daisy came home, Bo sleeps through the night, no 3 am potty breaks. And instead of 6:30 am, we usually wake up to go first potty at 7:30 or even (on days I love most) 8:30.

Comfy and tired.

This one still likes to sleep next to me on the couch.

Daisy will sleep on the couch too, but Bo usually gets there first. I think it's because he likes to kick me in his sleep. If there's (what she considers to be) enough room, she'll walk onto the couch and lay across my lap. Sometimes Bo will stay, sometimes he will huff and hop down to sleep on his pillow by the window. She's kind of a force of nature... she'll lay next to you, on you, put her head by your head on the pillow, she's very uninhibited that way.

When Bo finishes his rawhide first, he becomes very interested in Daisy's rawhide. It's much the same as when he becomes interested in my hamburger. This is the stare down.

This is the 'I'm so cute, don't you want to give me that rawhide?' pose.

And this is the 'See how far I can get without her biting my nose' maneuver.

She's very patient. But he ain't gettin' that rawhide.

Typically, any time I so much as appear to be about to get up, Bo hops up and goes to the door or his pillow. If I go to the kitchen he's right behind me. Oddly enough, if I am filling his bowl he will patiently lay on the mancave couch and wait for me to walk by so he can get in position by his bowl. If I'm making human food he's just a pest... Anywhere else, he may or may not go.

Daisy will follow me pretty much anywhere I go. In the kitchen she'll trail me for a little while but then she flops down onto the floor and lays quietly while I do what I need to do. If I go to the bathroom she's there. If I go to the bedroom, she's there. The only place she hasn't followed me is to the basement, though she stands at the door until I come back, and if I take too long she'll whine. She's a very sweet girl. She also has a protective instinct. She barks at people and her hackles go up a little until she knows I'm happy to see them, then she's friendly. One night I was in the bathroom when Bo took off, went to the living room and started barking. One barks and the other one barks for moral support whether they know what they're barking at or not, so she ran in there too, but then she came back and sat between me and the bathroom door to bark. It makes me feel safer, not that I feel unsafe, but I would definitely have warning should anyone intend to do me harm, and they would probably have to deal with Daisy first.

Poor Mike... even he is going to have to ring the doorbell so I can get the dogs leashed before he comes into the house for the first time...

280 - Boom

2014-05-22T17:47:00.001-05:00

Storm came...

279 - Such a Smartie

2014-05-15T16:21:00.001-05:00

Things have calmed down a lot over the past 48 hours. No more panting... they now take breaks in between tussle sessions... bedtime is pretty easy so far, once I can find a spot to sleep. :)

Bo is being a good example to Daisy. He sits for his leash to be put on, and she started doing it yesterday afternoon. He sits to get a treat so she started sitting to get a treat. The little skirmishes over food haven't occurred today. For meals I let him go to his spot, put her dish down on my way to his spot, and then everyone has their own space and she is busy eating so she doesn't follow me to his bowl. They actually ate and drank out of the same bowl sometimes without incident, it was the treats that seemed to be a trigger. He still tries to steal her "rawhides" because he gulps his down, but I can retrieve it and give it back to her so long as I watch to make sure he doesn't do it again.

There have been a couple of accidents (poop) but she's only four months old and has only been in this house for 2 days, so I'd say she's doing well. I've been having Bo bark at the door when he needs to go out and he's getting more reliable about that.. most of the time I know he's at the door, but on the off chance that I'm not there to see it or don't feel him get out of bed I want an audible cue. He doesn't seem to have any interest in ringing a bell, she supposedly did but has only done it once. So I'm hoping she will continue to emulate him, and when she needs to go out, instead of whining softly and looking out the window, she'll eventually learn to go to the door and bark too. Of course Bo goes so often that most of the time she won't need to let me know she wants to go out...

Bo is still jealous when anyone else has the audacity to play with a toy, his or not. He's not aggressive about it, just sneaky. Even if he has a toy in his mouth, the toy he wants is the one someone else has taken an interest in. Once he gets it, he trots off to the mancave with his treasure.

He was determined to have the skunk toy, so they had a little tug-o-war. Last night though, I was proud of him. After bedtime Daisy started gnawing on a bone and he stayed curled up and didn't try to take it from her, just groaned because he was trying to sleep and she was making noise. And to her credit after I told her is was night-night time a couple of times she stopped and went to sleep. We even seem to be able to skip the 6:30 am potty break now that she's here. Yesterday we slept until 10 am, today we woke up after 9 am. Color me surprised. So she is probably helping him as much as he is teaching her.

Here Bo looks on pitifully since he has already finished his "rawhide" and is attempting to find an opportunity to steal hers. I was watching or he would have jumped up and started sniffing her mouth, biding his time until he could dart in and take it... which he did later, so I retrieved it from him and gave it back to her. She takes her time and enjoys the rawhide.

Haven't seen the bluebirds around much lately but today this one made an appearance. Plump little thing.

Lady Richelieu

Sleeping Daisy

Bo ball

So we play a bit, we nap a bit. Sometimes we play gently, sometimes there are playful growls, sometimes it's like a herd of wild horses are galloping through the house. The only time I stop it is if I hear a whine because someone has gone too far. They entertain themselves mostly, splitting their time between the living room and mancave. Sometimes they want attention from me and I make sure I pay attention to them both. We try to go for walks... that's hit or miss. Leaving the house they're pretty well behaved. Coming back they start to roughhouse and it's hell trying to get them back in. Hopefully the front lead will help with that to some extent, especially with her. Bo is stubborn but easier to control, she is like a freight train, it reminds me of walking Romulus.

Bootsie is letting her get closer but he still arches up. Walter keeps his distance. I did get Bootsie to come in and eat this morning, and yesterday both cats came in through the front door. I had both dogs eating so they'd be distracted. Life is getting a little easier, and I have to admit that Bo having a playmate gives me a little freedom and I think he's happier.

This happened this morning when the garbage men came: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS7xjd2S1U8

278 - Bo and Daisy Duke it out

2014-05-13T18:48:00.002-05:00

Daisy is absolutely gorgeous. She hasn't grown into her body yet so she's a little clumsy, but she's only four months old, already almost as tall as Bo, weighs more than he does and is longer. Her paws are huge.

Her foster said she was a good car rider, and she was. She went to the back set and laid down for most of the trip. She was so quiet I almost forgot she was there.

When we got home, Bo was spastic, barking and squealing and he came on rather strong... jumping around, bouncing off the furniture, barking, nipping, getting mouthy. Well... she gives as good as she gets and he may regret having started a mouthy contest with a teething Dane. But they both have waggy tails and there are playful growls but they haven't been trying to hurt each other.

They didn't let up for two or three hours. They wore me out.

They are both sleeping now. Bo next to me and Daisy on the other couch. I'm glad, they were both panting, they needed to calm down. I just hope they're like this tonight when it's time to go to bed. :/ Surely the newness has mostly worn off.

Lady Richelieu, the Cardinal's wife

Daisy sniffing her new lawn

The meeting... Bo has hackles...

But they went down

277 - Bud!

2014-05-09T20:16:00.001-05:00

I ordered four tires off eBay. They are takeoffs with 90% of the tread remaining, with a lower speed rating than my current set... but since I don't go 130 mph they will be fine. I went to Walmart to have my wheels balanced but they said my left front tire didn't have enough tread and they couldn't. Mini told me I would probably have to replace two of my tires by summer, so I didn't realize it was that bad... So anyway, one of the guys suggested that the annoying jittery feeling I was experiencing as I drove was probably due to the fact that the new tire had a thicker tread than the older, worn tire and they were spinning at two different rates of speed so the car was having to compensate.

So my plan is to go to Walmart and have them replace all four tires with the ones I just got, dispose of the two bad tires, and I will take the two that are still in good shape (one brand new and the other about a year old) so I will have spares.

My makeshift pantry. I was tired of nonsensical clutter everywhere so I decided to make sense of it. It's primitive but I like it, just two benches stacked on top of each other.

My "office." The desk Mike sanded down and we stained. Looks pretty good. I got a second monitor so I can see two documents at once, and I have an office phone. I have to find an internet provider because VOIP won't work with my mobile hotspot, but that can wait a bit. But once I have that, I already have a Tennessee phone number.

I also rearranged the bedroom, putting the bed against another wall. It makes more sense to me and the room feels bigger.

Mike even has a side table now. And he's closer to the a/c vent so it should help keep him cooler since he tends to get hot more easily than I do. Especially in the head. :)

I call this evolution of a snack.

And this is playtime. Mike calls it the bitey-bite game. He looks all viscious and snarly, but he doesn't really bite, more like a nibble.

And then his lip gets stuck on his teeth and he looks funny.

I also put a curtain on the kitchen window that faces the street. It's sheer, as you can see, but it feels a little more private. And it helps make the heat of the sun bearable.

My sycamore has recovered from the last freeze and is budding out again.

The Japanese Maple is small, but gorgeous and healthy.

I have a rose bud.

And a hydrangea blossom.

And the fig tree, formerly a lifeless looking stick, is growing nicely.

'mater.

I think these are dewberry flowers. Sort of like a blackberry but smaller and juicier.

And I'm pretty sure there are a mass of blackberry canes down the road. There aren't a lot of flowers on them yet, but the leaves and thorns look right. We'll see.

276 - Today's moment of cute

2014-05-07T16:54:00.002-05:00

Bo being cute, quiet and content

Bo's soon-to-be sister Daisy nee CeCe.

275 - The good part of the day

2014-04-28T21:23:00.002-05:00

...before the storms came...

It hasn't gotten bad so far, a little heavy rain and then it abates. I hope it stays that way. I can take the rain, I just don't want the hail.

Cardinal Richelieu was unhappy that I took his bird feeder down so he sat on top of the pole and kept chirping and chirping. Since it was still calm out I put it back up for a little bit. Of course he flew away as soon as I opened the door, but after a minute or two he was back, happily nibbling at the bird seed, cocking his head from side to side, casually observing the world around him.

And there was a new bird in town.

I figured if the cows were still grazing, it couldn't be too bad. :)

274 - MY CAR IS BACK!!!!

2014-04-26T19:32:00.003-05:00

Went to pick my car up today. They didn't do the oil change even though I told them to, so they did it for free and it was done in under 20 mins, probably because they didn't have to let anything cool down. So that's cool. As I understand it, everything is back in camber, front and back and I didn't have to pay a thing (well, technically I paid years of insurance premiums and I bought a tire warranty...). It's so nice to have Scout back... the a/c is so much better, the floormats are different, the seat is up higher, I have a GPS again... To celebrate I removed my front license plate and scraped off my inspection and registration stickers because they don't matter here... I swear my windshield is bigger...

I wish we had dogwoods this pretty in our yard... ours have a few blooms here and there and feel more airy. But someday we'll get there. I'm working on it.

Bo versus moo-cow. He's very curious about them. They don't seem to share the sentiment.

The hummingbird

The cardinal visits pretty much every day now. He's soooooooooo pretty.

And entertaining.

The Bo-Bo's had the squirty butts last night, so he slept a lot. I gave him Immodium and it seemed to help, but it was pretty bad. To his credit he whined and stood by the door and held it until he got outside, so when he whine and stood by the door I got up and took him out quickly because I knew it was serious.

I took pics along the way to pick my car up. I call this the Perfect Road... nobody on it but me!

Cool old cabin in the woods

Ghost Towny building

Beautiful creek by Kemp Farms. I can't get the picture I want because there is no place to pull over... and the cows weren't in the water today so it wouldn't have mattered. I love this place it is gorgeous...

Carthage

My to-do list... I planted the lavender and the rose bush this afternoon, but I picked the rockiest spot yet to plant the rose... After the rainstorm we had a couple of days ago the soil was fairly moist, you just can't get much out at one time because you have to dig around the rocks. Found a few earthworms... that's a good sign.

Our baby Japanese Red Maple. It's going to be a stunner.

Where the blacktop ends.

More barn porn.

Our baby fig tree. It's not very big but there is a bud at the top, so it's determined to grow bigger.

Gerber Daisy.

Walter wondering why he's an outside kitty...

Bootsie taking a walk with us. Walter did too. Funny that the cats will walk with me and don't need a leash to stay close, but Bo does...

This is one of our dogwoods. It's pretty, but I wish it was a mass of blooms. And in the front yard.

Roses before they went into the ground. So I have a hydrangea, two boxwoods and the fruit vines... three or four of them... those are the deepest holes I have left to dig, the flower don't take as much effort.

The cardinal again. :)

And I shot a little video of Cardinal Richelieu (yes, I named him). It's adorable and entertaining and about a minute and a half long.

273 - Untitled

2014-04-20T15:15:00.001-05:00

Spring has arrived, despite the one last freeze we had immediately after my sycamore went into the ground...

My little hummingbird has been perched atop the bird pole off and on all day. I didn't think they sat still for long, and he doesn't, but for five or ten minutes at a time he sits and looks around, king of the world.

The cardinal came back but he's camera shy and keeps getting on the other side of the feeder. I guess I'm like bird paparazzi. And my little falcony bird.

My little falcon-y bird has a girlfriend. I love this camera.

And back to the hummingbird who peeked in the window for a bit.

The dogwoods are blooming. We have white and pink ones. Wish there was one in the front yard, and there will be at some point, but for now there are a few behind the house to look at.

272 - Pretty Bird

2014-04-18T21:34:00.003-05:00

He finally got close enough for me to get a really good picture...

271 - Part B

2014-04-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

Stop this thing, I wanna get off!!!

I couldn't stop... I got the idea to create a flowerbed around the bushes. The rocks are free, got 'em out of the ditch.

I was going to stop there.

But there is a thunderstorm tonight, and since I didn't remove the sod (started to but it was too much work) I decided to put down newspaper to kill the grass and just put dirt over the newspaper. The water from the storm will help increase the density of the newspaper, and then over time it will smother the grass but the newspaper will eventually break down.

So I finished it to that point. Maybe next weekend or so I'll toss some flower seeds in there and see what grows. The point is not to have to dig...

It didn't cost me anything since I've had the plants and dirt since before winter, the rocks were free, and the shrub in the middle? I dug it out of the ditch.

I still have two more to plant, I think those will go in front of the house, and the berry vines I got at Walmart (half price!) are in pots temporarily, so they'll have to be put into the ground. Also, I noticed my hydrangeas are coming back - I'm so glad I didn't throw them away because I honestly thought they were dead. They'll go in front of the house, too.

This guy is a bird I haven't seen before. He looks like a miniature horned owl cross with a hawk. I don't know what he is, but he's cute.

Getting the layout right...

Ta-da

Tonight's moon

I should sleep pretty well tonight...

271 - Kick Rocks

2014-04-13T13:49:00.001-05:00

Planted my sycamore today. It's gorgeous out and I think it's a good time since the really cold temps appear to have passed.

My initial plan was to sprinkle Gracie's ashes in the yard by the magnolia where the birds like to land, but Bo also likes to poop there sometimes and that was offputting... then it was cold and rainy so I hesitated. Until now I basically left her in a box in the bathroom (which is a place she used to love to come, so it seemed a fair compromise until spring). With all that time to think, I decided instead, to put her ashes in the ground with the sycamore tree so she can become a part of something living where birds will come to rest.

The ground here is very rocky and mostly clay so it isn't easy to dig, not even a little bit... this landscaping business is going to be slow going but I did manage to get the sycamore and two shrubs in so far. After another break I may plant the berry bushes since they won't need such deep holes.

And my hummingbird is back. A different one unless it's darkened up over the winter. If you recall, yesterday I was reprimanded for having let the sugar water run out. In my defense I had put some out but it either leaked out or evaporated because I put it out too early. So had the hummingbird called ahead to let me know, I would have been prepared...

Last night's moon

Getting ready to transplant. I'm so happy it liked the bucket and held on until I could get it into the ground. I've been hardening it off for the past few days, putting it on the deck during the day and bringing it in at night. Last night it stayed overnight because it was warm enough.

Six more inches to dig...

Nice dirt around the roots with some of the native ground on top. After I watered it I added some humus to help keep the moisture in.

Rocks I dug up. Free landscaping materials...

You can't see it very well but there's a frilly purple tree in the woods.

Shrubbery. Ni!

Hello Mr. Hummingbird! He's hungry, he's been to the feeder three times so far today (that I've seen).

Bo supervising.

270 - What I Did Today

2014-04-12T17:21:00.003-05:00

Noticed these leaves starting to bud out

Realized that I *had to* mow

Watched Bo meditate

Put ribs in the crockpot

Killed two of these, shoo'd one out of the house and am stalking two more.

Refilled the hummingbird feeder because my hummingbird hovered in front of the window to let me know he was back thankyouverymuch, so could he please have some nectar? Yes.

Hauled this to the curb, thank you Brian for the cart!

Hung this. I love windchimes... blow wind blow!

And mowed... but only the parts that absolutely needed it... well, the parts that we walk on anyway. The rest will have to wait.

Tomorrow I need to plant these... they've hung on all winter and the reward for not dying is a happy home in the ground if I can manage to dig the holes deep enough.

And I need to plant these...

And I can't wait to plant this! A sycamore tree. All the leaves are at the bottom of the stem, which I hope will change, but I'm excited to see the little buds unfurl. I miss my "old" sycamore tree.

Oh, and I cleaned up the mess in the back yard too... as much as I could.

And now I'm wiped out...

269 - That old familiar feeling

2014-04-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

I'm here... he's there... People wonder how we do it. I can't really explain it except that we've always done it and sometimes it has to be done. I'm not sure it ever gets easier, but we have our routine and it seems to work.

Not much else to report. Or maybe I'm just too tired to think straight. Seems to be a theme lately.

Bird.

Moo cow.

Sleeping with the enemy

Another moo cow. They were all pretty close to the fence this morning.

Sleepy time.

268 - The progression of a day

2014-04-06T09:40:00.002-05:00

I'm plumb wore out...

Because Mike was headed out for the funeral I needed to get the rental car situation sewn up so on Friday I played phone ping pong with the dealership and insurance company until I got the promise of a loaner car from Mini. We went to Brentwood... two hours each way, so a four hour roundtrip and I am in a Clubman until the end of the week (because they think it will be ready by then and I told them I couldn't make it back until the weekend). We gorged ourselves on Chuy's... because it was there, we regretted it later, but not at the time because it tasted so good.

Saturday I was busy doing laundry and cleaning the house so Mike would have what he needed and Brian would have a clean bed to sleep in. I think I finished up just as he made it here, he took the same detour as mom and dad did, which apparently makes our house look awesome in comparison.

So today, I was going to rest. True to form, I didn't... I ended up clearing out the mancave couch, putting things away in the kitchen and cleaning up debris from the header install. It's 9 am and I am ready to go back to bed. I'm tired of being tired all the time.

Pictures Mike took. I like the perspective he used, I didn't think of getting down to their level.

A new kind of bird

Bootsie got collared. I figure around here, with all the strays, it's probably a good idea to let people know this is a pet.

I know Bo pees in the yard... I just can't figure out where...

Sunset last night was cool so I took this pic. It reminded me of the Australian outback. Not that I've ever been there, just the sunset shot they tend to use in movies set in Australia.

Brian pretending to be decrepit. Or more decrepit. :)

The Bo-Bo's was unable to join us and this makes him dreadfully unhappy.

Please let me out...

Bo already missing dad, watching as they pull out of the driveway.

Somewhere around 6 am the sun started to rise.

And then the colors started to come...

Bo was unimpressed.

Birds.

And more birds

Watching After Earth, will probably fall asleep... although hunger and sleep are at war within me at the moment, so I may succumb to food first.

267 - Headway!

2014-03-29T23:10:00.001-05:00

The header went in tonight!!!

It was pretty harrowing at times... but it is finally in. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I didn't do much but I'm still exhausted, and Mike is walking like an old man so I'm sure he'll feel great tomorrow. :)

You can see the chimney where it comes up from the basement.

Mike and Tom disconnected the light switches and outlets and capped them with wire nuts before Mike pulled the wires up into the attic.

I must have been distracting.

Another pile of drywall... the house is still relatively clean at this point... it won't last long.

The temporary bracing to support the roof when the current supports come out.

Installing another one in the kitchen.

A moment of cuteness.

Removing the wall studs.

I had to go to the basement to grab something. This is the desk Mike sanded down. It was my great aunt's, then my dad's and now it is mine. Crazy how they built the drawers out of several different types of wood. It reminds me a little of that fruit stripe gum I chewed as a kid. It's crazy but I kinda like it.

Bo was distressed by all the noise. And he threw up shortly after I took this pic.

Almost opened up.

Trying to watch the commotion but almost asleep.

Artsy flower shot. I love the huge white daffodils. We only have a small patch of them but they are gorgeous.

Trying to look innocent

Bo laughs at their first attempt to get the header in.

Then returns to eating his rawhide.

Then he laughs at their second, third, fourth and fifth attempts.

Six tries? Bwahahaaha

Wait. Is it up yet?

Walter stayed out all night last night. I tried to get him to come in but he didn't seem to want to. I gave him three more chances before I went to bed. He slept most of the day today.

Trimming the ends a bit

Almost done, just one brace to take out.

Anticipatory shot.

Horrible photo but I give up. I was too tired to make a better attempt.

So now the pantry can be built! Woot! I am grateful to Tom for giving up his Saturday to help us out. And of course, to Mike... he worked hard for several days throughout this project.