Buster’s Not the Only Butt

4 Comments / Animal Issues, Daily Dose, Day to Day, Family Funk /

All of the dogs have been TROUBLE for the last few days. I guess I could blame the warmer weather? They have certainly been excited about being able to stay out for more than 90 seconds without risking frost bite.

Lola, in particular, has been thrilled to mouth off to all of the squirrels and try to climb fences and trees to catch them. Poor thing doesn’t realize that even if she can climb the fence, she’s still 30 feet too low to reach the squirrel.

Skeeter poodle has barked pretty much non-stop, at invisible things — though TW said last night there were coyotes outside. I didn’t see them so maybe Skeeter just somehow told her they were out there?

Buster butt just runs around madly because the other two are excited by stuff. He has no idea what that stuff is but he’s more than happy to help them cause chaos.

It’s not just the running around and barking though.

I’ve found Skeeter eating several things she should not have.

A shoe.
A book.
Some mail that turned out only to be an empty envelope, thankfully.
And… the big one… TW’s brand new leather iPhone wallet that she’d only had for 36 hours. Her brand new leather iPhone wallet that she LOVES. Yep. Destroyed. By Skeeter. Not by Buster. Though it is possible that Buster retrieved it and passed it on to Skeeter to eat. He does that sometimes. Still. She KNOWS BETTER.

Speaking of knowing better… Buster might be learning something…

One of the most frustrating things about Buster butt is that he has not seemed to learn that we are unhappy with him when he eats all of the things. When we yell or stomp our way toward him or do some other thing to try and stop him from eating what he’s eating, he has always just sat there chewing the forbidden item and looking at us like we’re nuts or even wagged his tail thinking we’re coming to play.

For the last couple of days though, he’s made that ashamed face when he sees me coming to retrieve something he shouldn’t have. A couple of times he’s slunk away from what he was headed for when he heard me tell him NO.

I’m telling myself that this is a sign that we’re making progress. It IS a sign we’re making progress, right?

Buster’s Not the Only Butt Read More »

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

2014, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Fiction /

Pure chicklit, that’s what The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe is. It was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the trips to The Antler the most. It was a little hard to believe that neither Ellen or her mother knew anything about Ruth’s history with art. I can’t imagine how she’d have kept that kind of thing a secret — why her husband wouldn’t have encouraged her to paint. It doesn’t make much sense, really. So odd.

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe Read More »

Happy Showgirl Is Happy

1 Comment / Animal Issues, Family Funk, Pets /

It’s in the 30s(f) here today. Ice fog and just fog, awaiting the rain forecast for a bit later today. I’m much happier because of it but not nearly as happy as the happy showgirl.

Lola Belle is the puppy who likes being outside as much as possible. And even if she isn’t outside, she likes to sit at the back door and watch for squirrels through the window. With the super-cold the last week/ten days, she’s been unable to be outside and I will not allow her to stay in the cold room for very long because IT IS TOO COLD in the office for me to have the door propped open for her to go in and out.

So today, Lola is one helluva happy showgirl. She’s so happy that she she has spent quite a lot of time teaching Buster butt to play properly. Normally she just kind of ignores him out there or puts him in his place for being stupid. Today though, she tried to teach him to play chase — which is the game that she and Skeeter like the best. The game that Buster butt does not know how to play.

She managed to get him to play properly for all of five minutes and then he went back to being stupid and just trying to pounce her every ten seconds. So, she sent him in the house to be stupid on his own and went about her business of guarding the yard and just being her happy outdoorsy showgirl face-licking self.

Happy Showgirl Is Happy Read More »

I’m Not Afraid of the Dark, But…

4 Comments / Daily Dose, Money Talks, Pet Peeves /

I really hate it when TW gets into “money saving via conserving electricity” mode. It happens a couple of times a year and it makes me nuts.

I’ll leave the room for one minute and come back to find the lights off.

It’s 7pm and she’s turned all of the lights in the house off, except for those in our bedroom — and dammit, I can turn them back on again when I head back to my computer for a spam run or to the cold room to take the dogs out or the laundry room to do the laundry or the kitchen to clean the Ninja that was too hot to clean when I did the rest of the dishes. But I DON’T WANT TO.

It’s annoying. I’m always holding a book and often holding a coffee cup as I pass through the dark rooms. There are dogs underfoot. There are dog toys on the darn floor. Even ONE light left on would be useful. Just one, then I could safely navigate half of the way through the house and hit any other light I needed to hit as I go.

Haven’t we switched to CFLs? Which means it’s cheaper to leave the lights on since odds are high someone’s going to need them within 15 minutes… and the off and on shortens the life of the CFL… Oh shoot. I just looked up. The office lights are not CFL. If I switch them, would she stop turning this light off? Or should I just ride this storm of money saving madness til the end. It probably won’t last long… and I won’t trip over a dog and kill myself in the dark before she gives up on the idea… right?

I’m Not Afraid of the Dark, But… Read More »

Kill The Dead

2014, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I’m a stickler for reading books in a series in the proper order. So how is it possible that I skipped books in the Sandman Slim series and didn’t realize it til I started looking for sequels and prequels to read. I didn’t just skip one, I skipped TWO.

That’s weird.

So I’m playing catch up — finished Kill the Dead today. Awesome, as always. Sandman Slim is THE BEST and now some of the holes in the story that I just thought I’d forgotten are starting to make more sense. Funny how that happens when you read the books you missed. Sheesh.

Kill The Dead Read More »

Buster Needs a Water Table

1 Comment / Animal Issues, Family Funk /

Buster Butt likes to play in water. A lot.

Before it got colder than hell, he’d splash around in mud puddles outside.

He’d tap his paw in the water dishes – all of three of them.

He’d drag them, full of water, around the house.

We kept having to pick the water bowls up and leave them on counters, which meant that none of the dogs ever had water when they wanted water.

We’d remember late in the day that nobody had water and we’d fill up a bowl and put it on the floor. Lola and Skeeter would drink. Buster would drink and drink and drink and then decide to play in the bowl. So, the water would get taken away again.

TW researched unspillable water bowls and decided we needed to order Buddy Bowls. I was skeptical but ordered two.

Once they arrived, I was still skeptical but they did seem significantly less spilly than regular bowls.

But, Buster Butt drags them all over the house and chews on them and I can assure you that they are not spill-proof. I wipe up water ALL DAY LONG because he has dragged one around the house and spilled it all over the place.

And once again, the bowls live on the counter and we have to remember to put some water in them and let the dogs have them for awhile — at least until Buster Butt annoys us by dragging them around and spilling water all over the place again.

I think he needs a water table, like the one JMP got for Christmas.

Buster Needs a Water Table Read More »

Doll Bones

2014, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Next, middle grade fiction by Holly Black, Doll Bones.

I discovered this one when I started thinking about doing a prequel/sequel challenge. I was looking up authors, of series we’ve read and noticed that I had not read this one… though it’s not in a series (yet?), I do generally like Holly Black so I reserved it.

And it was good.

Three middle schoolers, all with somewhat troubling home lives find themselves going on a real quest. With a bone china doll — a very creepy bone china doll, which is kind of obvious since bone china dolls are by their very nature — creepy.

I enjoyed it and was kind of sorry to see it end so soon.

Doll Bones Read More »