All Messages
By Sylviag on Jul 9, 2015 at 8:37 AM
Hy, trying to catch up with friends a little more each day. How is every little thing? Any summer trips planned? Feels so good to get back here. But I see Betsy has disappeared for awhile again. Have you been in touch with her at all. I need to send her an email. The usual stuff with the gkids for the summer - camping, some road trips, etc. Oldest gson graduated HS this year and is egistered for community college. Been doing some yard studd - had an irrigaton system put in finally so Bryan doesn't have to shift a bunch of sprinklers around and put in a lawn in the back area that was weeds and dust, Very hot summer here so far. xxoo
By beckysdad on Jul 7, 2015 at 1:24 PM
We did survive the fireworks but we sure weren't happy about it. They were louder and longer than ever before. I just hate seeing Becky upset. I owe her a trip to Carmel but we didn't go today. It's looking like it will get pushed off until next week. Did the brother and sister kittehs go to the same home or are they striking out on their own. I suppose either situation has it's pluses and minuses. Did you cook anything festive over the 4th? The highlight of my cooking week was ribeye's with sauteed mushrooms and onions...talk about yum! We're going to be very bad tomorrow night. I'm fixing garlic chicken for the folks tomorrow night. None of us need to have any contact with the public on Thursday so it's a great opportunity. That's a self-imposed requirement for garlic chicken. The okay from the cardiologist is optional.
By beckysdad on Jul 1, 2015 at 9:18 PM
Becky doesn't necessarily want me for herself; she just wants to make sure nobody else gets me. I'm going to wait until after the holiday to take Becky to Carmel. I suspect it will be a zoo this week between the holiday and the heat. I think you're pretty much ready to be done with all the rain, aren't you?
By beckysdad on Jul 1, 2015 at 12:25 PM
Becky enjoys the occasional puppy playdate but she's meant to be an only dog. She'd adapt to another dog and did well with the other two but I think old dad can only handle one at a time. Is your rain gone?
By furrgetmenot on Jun 28, 2015 at 6:16 PM
Oh, indeed, yes it's a blessing that it's all fixed now!
By beckysdad on Jun 27, 2015 at 12:39 PM
There's been steady progress with the wee ones. It's just tough to train two at once. If I'd been able to work one on one it would have been much easier. As it is I decided on day one my job was simply to care for these two and return them safely to their humans. Along the way if they picked something up and I got to love on some sweet dogs then we're ahead of the game. Speaking of games...how goes the behavior modification with the squirrel? It sounds like his eyes are firmly on the prize. Whose will turns out to be the greater. Yeah, I'm afraid the charms of sashimi would be lost on me. I really do wish I enjoyed fish. I suspect that there will be at least one more photo session before the woofers go. Who knows what we may capture. I really do like the one shot of Jasper I got from below where he's looking over his shoulder and I got that one glint of sunshine peeking through the leaves of my crepe myrtle. I just finished season three of Downton. As soon as I saw Matthew driving that car home from the hospital I started saying no..no...No...NO...NOOOO.... It was shaping up like a series finale as things were going so well but I knew they were going to screw with me but that...that was cruel.
By furrgetmenot on Jun 27, 2015 at 11:31 AM
OH nos!!! ~is dat YOR beautiful house MOLD is eating??? :O
By beckysdad on Jun 27, 2015 at 9:34 AM
All's quiet on the woofer front this morning. It will wrap up on Monday morning and I can't say I'll be sorry to see it end. Three dogs for eleven days was a bit much. I'm always reluctant to use the raising kids analogy but here goes... I went into this with visions of baby pictures, learning to walk, the Halloween costume parade in kindergarden, picture day at school, photos before the prom and sending them off to college. In reality there's uncomfortable nights when little ones are howling because of ear aches, biting other kids at school, having them brought home by the police after being caught throwing berries at cars and all the madness that comes when puberty kicks in...It's all fine in the end but it's a lot of work. And despite the challenges of looking after the wee ones, they both like to hop up in my lap for a cuddle from time to time and it's all quite adorable...until they fight over whose turn it is. Sigh... I hope you find something fun for your kitchen time today...elegant, tasty, healthy and low in calories...is there such a thing?
By beckysdad on Jun 25, 2015 at 2:39 PM
I don't think Cockers and Corgis are known for being vocal...not like a beagle. These two just seem to react to all outside noise. I hate it when keyboards act up. An homage to Syl is a nice thing but for those of us that tend to be careful with our spelling it's annoying when our messages get messed with. Either Downton or an invite from a friend sound like good alternatives. I'm not doing anything fancy with the pork and rice. The pork is just sliced and served on its own and the rice is white...well maybe speckled yellow after butter and pepper is added. I use a rice cooker as well and love it for both white and brown rice. When I do brown rice I toss a chicken bouillon cube in the water and then add some diced onions right at the end of the cook time and let the residual heat soften the onions.
By catsuberalles on Jun 25, 2015 at 1:56 PM
ED laptop keyboards can be replaced; I've done a couple. Of course, that's assuming the laptop is worth saving.
By beckysdad on Jun 25, 2015 at 1:26 PM
Napa would be a nice place for a wedding in June...or any time really. Sausalito is a cute little town too. One of my friends got married there. It was a very nice ceremony. I'm glad you got your AC squared away. That's a necessity and not a luxury in your part of the world. I'm using my AC a bit more than usual. It's been getting quite cool overnight so normally I'd open up the house and let nature take care of my cooling needs but with the wee ones here that's not in the cards. They're both very vocal and feel the need to respond to other dogs barking or babies crying. There's been very little drama with the woofers. Feeding three goggies at once is a bit of a challenge. I'm fortunate that I've always worked very hard with Becky about being calm and having to wait until I release her to eat. That allows me to put her food down and keep the other two engaged with their bowls before letting Becky go to town. This morning's walk was the best yet. It was almost enjoyable. The biggest frustration is the independence of little Jasper He seems to want to hang outside rather than follow along with the gang. I'm fairly content to let him but he does go off on a barking jag from time to time and I won't allow that for my neighbors so I have to wrangle him inside. How was your Downton Abbey fest over the weekend? I share your frustration with the fireworks. They drive Miss Becky nuts just like Kibby and Chessie. The pork is hanging on nicely and still tasty. I would often grab a loaf of bread and make sammies but I haven't been making trips to the store with the goggies here. I'm just heating some up and fixing some rice to go along with it.
By beckysdad on Jun 23, 2015 at 1:47 PM
The wee ones are indeed keeping me busy. That's not entirely accurate. We have long stretches of napping and calm but the activities we do have are far more rambunctious than Becky and I are used to. I'm glad I could do this for my sister and her friend but it will be nice to get back to just Miss Becky and me. There's definitely a trip to Carmel coming next week after the guests are gone. Becky has earned it. Is your AC all fixed? I guess that will help with the humidity. Funny that you would mention chicken curry...have you seen this ad? I love it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ogqs4fwBkY I was just watching some videos off a link here on the site. The theme was surprise gifts of puppies for wives. I appreciate what these guys are shooting for but I don't think I'd go that way. If you're getting a puppy (or a cat) you want to be involved in the selection process...not just have one handed to you. It's fine if parents are picking one out for the kids but spouse to spouse? I think that's a bad move. What do you think?
By beckysdad on Jun 22, 2015 at 3:46 PM
I suspected that horse video would appeal to you. I know I enjoyed it. Becky is not a fan of thunderstorms or fireworks. We get a heck of a lot more of the latter than we do the former. I feel for both Kibby and Chessie. Fireworks are illegal here but for a couple weeks prior to the 4th there's an awful lot of it that goes on around here. It ticks me off as it bothers Becky so much. I could tolerate it on the 4th but I wish they'd be done with it by ten. That's clearly asking too much. My deep dish pizza will finish up tonight. I have a nice pork roast waiting for the grill tomorrow night. That will be way tasty and feed me for days. I've wanted to do less cooking while the dogs are here. It's just simpler that way. Do you know what's on tap for you next?
By beckysdad on Jun 22, 2015 at 2:05 PM
i'm guessing you'll enjoy this http://cheezburger.com/71981057/funny-horse-video-water-is-fun-once-you-get-used-to-it?ref=mosaicthumb3
By beckysdad on Jun 22, 2015 at 12:48 PM
How long had little miss Cibolo been a guest before she found her furreber home? I think it would be dangerously easy to get attached to most of them rather quickly. It sucks when the rain is bad enough to mess up the appearance but not so much to wash all the grime away. It's just too easy to pick up more when the roads are wet. Alas, I fear having both of my little charges all trained up by the time they go home is a bridge too far. If I only had one I might entertain the idea of training them up but with two it's just two difficult. I've gotten them to the point where they'll wait at the door and let me go in and out first. That wasn't bad but training them both to heel is beyond my abilities. Becky has really stepped up on our walks though. having these two little ones along has finally allowed her to see what I'm wanting and why. I don't even have to think about her at all. She stays right beside me with no fuss. It will be very nice when it's back to just the two of us. It's fun to cuddle with the wee ones but the fact that disciplined walks have never been a part of their lives before makes them a real challenge. It's really too bad as the world of a dog gets much bigger when they're good on a leash. If they're constantly challenging then it's no fun for the owner to take them out. And that's a vicious cycle. They're halfway decent on the back half of a walk but you have to endure a good deal to get them to that point. How are those enchiladas?
By beckysdad on Jun 20, 2015 at 8:01 AM
Walkies were less of a battle and more of a skirmish today. Maybe by the end of the ten days... I'll do pepperoni on occasion but mostly I do hot italian sausage, mushrooms and onions. I sure with I enjoyed fish. It would open up a whole new culinary world for me. Those enchiladas sound yummy. There is a downside to cooking for one. Some dishes just don't lend themselves to single serving preparation so we wind up eating the same thing for a few nights. Of course, we have control over what we fix so we generally really like the things we make so eating them for a few days is a treat. Particularly since some things are better after a day. I hope you find some good ideas on your cooking shows today. Fully operative AC is something to look forward to, as well.
By beckysdad on Jun 19, 2015 at 2:52 PM
Treadmills are a poor substitute for a walk outside but it's sure better than nothing. I envy you your rain. Except it would be bad to have it happen while I'm goggie-sitting. Becky doesn't have to slow down much because she has to keep pace with me. The other two weren't so much pulling ahead as they were pulling in every direction that might have a smell. after about ten minutes they figured out that no matter where the smells were, the collars were attached to the leash and then to the human and he wasn't stopping until HE wanted to. The last half of the walk was actually pretty good. The first half was a contest of wills and I have a big will when it comes to dog behavior. There hasn't been as much wrestling as I would have thought but it's been warm. After the dawn walk everyone has been content to chill. I'm going to make deep dish pizza from scratch for dinner and eat off that for a few days. One day with plenty of cooking followed by three nights of fabulous cold pizza on hot days. That works just fine. Are you cooking anything interesting these days?
By violetD on Jun 19, 2015 at 12:15 PM
Good!! That must have been a very creepy experience!! EW EW EW!!! I'm happy that it's over for you! :D
By violetD on Jun 17, 2015 at 2:01 PM
OH WOW!! Did you get rid of the termites?!
By beckysdad on Jun 17, 2015 at 12:43 PM
Ah...I thought I'd mentioned that to you. My sister called me a couple months ago and started telling me about her planned Alaskan cruise. I listened with interest for a few minutes before it dawned on me...I'll be puppy sitting for her while she's gone. She hadn't gotten around to asking yet but I knew it was coming and I'm happy to do it. She' got an adorable 1 year old Cocker Spaniel named Cocoa that gets along great with Becky. I volunteered to watch her before Teresa had to ask. About thirty seconds after that came out of my mouth I continued the thought process...Hmmm...she's not going alone...she'll be going with her friend Jen...Jen has a Corgi...I'll be watching two dogs while they're gone... Teresa got to that a short time after I'd figured that out. Jasper, the Corgi, has not met Becky but Beck gets along with everyone so I'm not concerned. The challenge will be our walks. I absolutely insist on daily, disciplined walks. The walks for their little ones aren't nearly as consistent and they haven't been good about enforcing a heel command. Our walks will be challenging I'm sure but the time around the house will be fun. I'll take tons of photos and videos and will no doubt spam the site. As much fun as it will be, I'm sure I'll be glad when their ten day summer camp/boot camp session is done. They'll have fun but they'll be as happy to see their moms as their moms will be happy to see them.
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