TOOOOMORROW TOMMORROW TWOMORRRROW

Belgian Puppy Arrival Day!!!
I wish I had a good photo to post of him but I don't. It is the red puppy which only means he has a piece of red yarn around his neck not that he has a red coat as a friend of mine thought.

When I first saw the pix of the two males I liked red the best. Then came the cute fuzzy picture of Blue and I liked HIM the best. Then the breeder began explaining to me about the two males and their virtues and sins as far as conformation goes (at this age which is 9 weeks) and red sounded better and better.

So today I vacuumed and steamcleaned most of the downstairs, bought food for the puppy, still don't have a good crate pad because I ran out of $$$$$$. Surely someone is cheaper than PetSmuck.

I printed out the instructions from the airline, put the phone number on my cell phone. My dear and good and true friend Susan is going to drive me to OHare. She has done this before. I have gone with her, but don't know the details.

All I would need is to get lost finding the Van in the parking garage with a puppy that has been on an airplane all morning. (Not that long, actually, a couple of hours.)

Doc.His name is Doc. His name is actually "Mika Keokuk Medicine Man of Liswyn." And here is why: it is the K litter so the name has to start with a K. I liked Doc and was looking for something to go with that and got to Medicine Man, which I liked. Then there was still that  damn K.

And then I remembered. John's great aunt Nellie Verne Walker made a huge bronze statue of Chief Keokuk, which stands over-looking the great Mississippi River at Keokuk, Iowa. PERFECTO!! So that was it.

And tomorrow, we will see what the boys think of their new housemate. And they better be really happy to see to him......

 

Chief Keokuk by Nellie Verne Walker

FREUD HAD IT WRONG

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a little boy. Now. According to Freud this means I had "penis envy". Freud was wrong. What I had was EQUALITY ENVY. Even as a child I knew there was a big difference between being a little boy and getting to do exciting things, and being a little girl and told to cross your legs at the ankle when you sat down, pull your skirt down, don't sit like that, walk this way, act interested in what the boys are interested in, (nevermind what I was interested in) and don't eat that you'll get fat vs. eat, keep your strength up.

 

This is me in case you couldn't figure it out. Note that at the tender age of 4 I am wearing a gun. It was only a cap gun but I had been wearing it steadly for a year at that point, rarely took it off. The skirt was my Mother's idea, an attempt to rein in her obstinate daughter. It worked, for awhile.

 

But it wasn't a penis I wanted. It was the ability to do the same things as my brother. The ability to ride my bike as far as he rode his.

To have a key to my room. (That backfired, but I will go into it another time. BWaaaahahahahahahah).

(Ok: he broke the key off in the lock and spent a whole day sitting in the hall with a hacksaw and my Father, sawing through the lock.)

The advantage to being a girl was: I was protected and tears were a potent weapon.

End of advantages, as I saw it.

 

He has looked out for me, I have to admit. Note the tie. I am puzzled by that since Mother loathed dogs. Who got a dog when he wanted one? Not me. When I wanted one, no dice.

So I got a horse. HAhahahahahahha. Revenge is sweet.

 

I think he ran into a tree but I cannot remember. The Indian artifacts behind him were his. He got to go to Tama,Iowa and watch the Indians (Native Americans, whatever) dance and he made friends with some of them and had an awesome collection. Breech clothes, tobacco pouches and bowls...

I had china horses.

 

He's a good guy.He is not responsible for his sex anymore than I am responsible for mine. I am now resigned to being female and glad of it in many ways, but every now and then I think...what if...

 

And it's not a penis I want, it's equal pay.

LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

We are trying to remember what happened to summer. I think it was too hot to really DO anything. It's a little cooler but not much, however this month is chock full'o things I have to do. And at the end of the month MAYBE there will be a new puppy waiting, or maybe not. I won't know for awhile and meantime, just eat Valium.

(No that's not true. Valium makes me really stupid. As in, worse than normal. It turns me into a zombie. I know people who take it before they go into the show ring but I tried it once and nearly fell asleep waiting for the Judge to examine my dog.)

Anyway the GABR Bash&Waddle is the weekend after the Park Forest Art Fair which is the 15 & 16, if anyone feels inclined to drive a thousand miles to see a dying institution. Am I bitter? Moi??? This year there are 62 vendors. SIXTY TWO!!! Do you know how tiny that is? This is a show that used to draw people from all over the country, no kidding. One of the biggest, best art fairs of the year.

This is the town that used to have the Scenic 10 Run. It drew runners from all over the world. It was considered one of the big prep races of the year. We don't have it anymore.

I am convinced the Village powers have decided the art fair is too much trouble and are trying to kill it. They're almost there. It would not surprise me if this were the last year.

I do not have a booth at the art fair. I have my jewelry in a Gallery right there on the main street, and I go and sit in the weatherproof gallery with the door open and when it is hot or rainy we offer A/C or a roof. I have done quite well this way and am hoping this will be a good year, but with 62 vendors....


The weekend after that is the GABR Waddle and I am working with Wendie Prince and the Sr.Hounds Abound booth. That is in Dwight, Il and is still one of the big waddles. They raffle off a Corvette every yr. They have their own property and they walk in the Harvest Day parade. I might bring Conley, I don't know.

 

The idea of bringing Mr. I Am Cool and trying to sell stuff at the same time has limited appeal. I also need to have him groomed first and he howls the entire time he is there, making him not popular. There is no known way short of anesthesia to shut him up.

 

I will say here as an addendum that my good friend McBeth lost her heart and soul dog, Frankie, earlier this week. He was a yellow lab mix and was supposed to be a guide dog, but he flunked. He had bonded with McBeth when she raised him as a puppy and refused to submit. He tried to drag a trainer into a lake after a goose. She had him forever after, until his death from cancer this week. He was a wonderful, fun, friendly, obedient dog whose entire life revolved around McBeth.

He was an agility dog, a therapy dog, a reading dog, a dock diver and he excelled at all of those activities. Whatever McBeth wanted him to do, he did to the very utmost of his ability.

Frankie was a great dog.

We will all miss him.

 

***

MORE WILDLIFE

Now this is just bizarre.
We have had possums, skunks, rabbits, deer,raccoons and foxes either in the yard or the immediate neighborhood and possums, skunks, coyotes and bunnies in the yard. But this.... I mean, come on, guys. This is too much.

So there we are, on a nice quiet afternoon, hot enough that we have the a/c on. John has gone someplace. Probably it was Friday. All at once the dog alarm goes off and I see Roger, my wonderful neighbor, dancing around in front trying to get my attention.

I go to the door and he tells me-- this is a sober man who knows animals-- that he has just
chased
a
BEAVER
out of his swimming pool
under the fence
into my yard.            !!!!!
A what? Yes he says it had a blig flat tail and claws that he thought were going to shred the  lining of the pool when it clambered out, stared and Roger, jumped back in the water and did a final lap before lumbering off under the fence into my yard.

(Google images)

I don't know much about Beavers. They live in water. The day this happened it was in the mid 90's and bright and sunny. About three blocks east is a drainage ditch that angles into Central Park and eventually, maybe 6 - 8 blocks away, is a "wetlands". While we have had rain recently, I would expect the wetlands might not be that wet but it certainly is a more friendly environment than the backyards along this street.
Of course, maybe someone has a little Koi pond they treasure.......

Beavers chew wood but what do they eat? Bothersome Bassets?

They have big ole chompers, too. I would imagine they can really
nip.
I kept the boys in for a long time. It was too hot to be out anyway.
I searched the yard and found nothing except some mosquitos.

I am worried about the Beaver. I hope he found his way to wherever he had in mind to go, and that it was as nice as he envisioned.

MYSTERY OF THE BLACK AND WHITE KITTIES

 For a number of years we have dealt with the infamous Black and White Kitties of Park Forest. When we lived in the townhouses, before 1985, we were directly across the street from the Forest Preserve. Naturally, we had critters. We discovered they loved Good Humor ice cream. Never mind how we learned that.

We had a cat at that time, a real black and white longhaired kitty named Ambulance, who only once tangled with a skunk. It was long before I worked for Doc and he got a bath in tomato juice, which didn't do much really, except turn him into a black and pink cat for a long time.

(This is Ambulance, when he was elderly.)

 

Anyway, the point is, now that we live over here, we have the same skunk problem. Possibly not the same skunks since I do not think they live THIS long, but just as odoriferous and bold.

 

Last night we were beleaguered by the scent of Skunk. It seemed to be drifting aimlessly around the summerhouse, which is full of junk and which John has been trying to clean out. He thought perhaps there had been one in there, but I don't think so. They don't hide. They walk in plain sight, and they don't run.

 

I kept the dogs in.

 

Tonight the eau de skonk was immediate and strong. It wafted into the house shortly after I let the boys out. It was dark. The smell was pretty pungent. I called them in.

 

I went out with a flashlight. I checked the entire yard, the sheds, the garden, the gates. Nothing. The skunks have been known to live in the backyard of an abandoned house across the street, so I decided to look out front. I went out the front door and began using the flashlight between my house and Roger's.

To my horror, I heard one of the kids screaming "Mom there's someone outside! I hear someone outside!"

I immediately screamed ITS JUST ME IT'S JUST ME

and heard Cindy yelling at the kids:

You're listening to the washing machine!

You're listening to the washing machine!

 

So I don't think anybody heard anyone else, really,except Maria across the street heard me and came out, and dogs heard me and went ballistic so the kids were yelling at Cindy who was yelling at them and I was yelling at the dogs to be quiet.....

 

Maybe you had to be there.

I never have found the skunks.

But I know they're out there, waiting.

 

 

IDIOTS

Well Akin has to be first on the list with his comment about rape.

Once I had a gynecologist who, after I had had both my children and mentioned that I would not be having more, said to me-- and I swear this is true (I was 35 at the time):
"You know, you might as well have a hysterectomy because you are not using your uterus and it is just going to sit in there and rot."
I swear he said that. I was shocked to say the least but too young still to retort (he was in his 60's at the time):
Well hey you still using those testicles? Because we can have those removed.
Now I would not hesitate to say that to him.

Before that I had a gyne who pinched my cheek (facial) when he was done with the exam and said "Oh you're just fine, dear."
My ass! I was outta there so fast------------he had a very good reputation and I am sure he meant nothing but keep your hands to yourself unless you are doing what I pay you to do.

Then I had one whose receptionist called me a "menopausal old bitch" (I was 40) when she thought I was out of hearing range. BWAAAAAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. I wasn't. Got her good.

I watch Cops a lot. Generally I like Cops which is not a popular response anymore. Most of the Cops I know are basically good guys who genuinely want to help and see and hear too much crap to keep their do-good attitude fueled all the time.
Consider the gentlemen arrested who have drugs in their crotches and insists they are not theirs; they never seen them before, sir.

What's a Cop to think? Pretty much what I do except he probably is not allowed to laugh in their faces.

        "I am smarter than most criminals and all politicians."

Ah well. It is 4 in the morning and I have already been up for a half hour. Think good thoughts.

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

Have you ever seen anything more wonderful? I haven't. Unless maybe it is This:

Four weeks old. Ears not up. Not for awhile. Already looking for something to get into.

Forgive me my Bassets for I have sinned and I have gone to the Dark side quite literally, once again. I do love my big black dogs.

I love my Bassets too. It's a lot like having children. You love the ones you have unconditionally, but with each new one you hope it won't have the faults of the ones before: THIS one won't take it's clothes off and run down the street naked.
THIS one will  be using the potty by 2
THIS one will learn to eat with utensils .
THIS one will speak before 3.
THIS one won't scream "Mommy don't hit me again" in the grocery store when you have never laid a finger on her.
THIS one won't break his arm when you are not home.
*********************************************
THIS one will hold his tail properly in the show ring.
THIS one won't bark at the mailman so hard that he spits on the front window.
THIS one won't stand on dining room table to look out the back window.
THIS one will let me cut his nails without jerking his foot away and screaming before i touch him.
THIS one won't eat the remotes, eyeglasses, paper products, tampons, popsicle sticks, poop, birds, mice, sandwiches, anything on the counter, or open cupboards.
THIS one won't carry knives and scissors off to play with.

No this one will be perfect. I can tell.