Snowflakes

Friday ended with the start of the big snow. We walked into Wal-Mart and when we came out, it was snowing something fierce. It was already accumulating. I called Heather at her office to tell her to be careful while driving home, and they didn't have a single flake down there. Snowflakes, I mean.

We got home and I went outside to take a couple of pictures. I looked back at the dining room and both dogs were sitting there watching the snow come down. I tried to take a picture, however it came out looking a little ominous. Take a look:



You can barely make out the outlines of the dogs, but those eyes are just glowing between the snowflakes. If I were out alone in the woods at night, the sight of those eyes would just creep me out.

Meg doesn't like the snow very much. I guess it's a little cold for her old bones. Abby, on the other hand, really got into it. She was rolling in it, licking it, burying herself in it. She wouldn't come inside, either.



This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning.



While we spent much of the day inside the house, Abby was trying to scam Emily out of her crackers. Oh, it looked like she was just trying to snuggle, but if you watched closely, you could see the true object of her attention.







Due to the weather, there was no home improvement going on, rather home excavation. I shoveled some snow away from the garage door, uncovered the heat pump, and helped the girls try to get a sled path going. I started out to the driveway to dig out the cars, but took a look and decided we weren't going anywhere today.



I look like a ticked off mafia lawyer on vacation. I knew I gained some weight, but MAN!

Ok. Lot's of time on my hands, this weekend. I was looking through some of my old stuff from Paymentech. I used to write obituaries for people when they left the company. I did find one classic that might be enjoyed by all, since it was for the fax machine. Here it is:

The Death of Lake Eduard (or, Loch Mess)

This weekend I finally conquered the mess that was Lake Eduard. I had been planning to fill the place with gravel just to end the need for walking the plank I had laid across it in a vain attempt to keep the dogs from getting soaked, but had to put that off when seeing the cost involved. Gravel is only about $16.00 a ton, and I needed at least three tons. Delivery by dump truck was about $90.00, more than the cost of the gravel I needed. I had to wait until I could spare the money to get it. Fortune finally smiled upon me, however, when Dad called me on Thursday afternoon to see if I still needed gravel. He had some on a job that he needed to get off site. I could have it if I went and picked it up. It required time and I'd have to shovel it into the truck, but time and labor I got. Money I don't. So on Friday and Saturday I made a few trips to the site and managed to get six truckloads of gravel before my rapidly aging body went on strike. I later began the attack on the lake. I was able to cover most of it. At day's end on Saturday the lake was no more. As fate would have it rain fell most of the day on Sunday, and the Lake gave one last wet, defiant gasp. The water was only about an inch over the top of the gravel, and once the rain stopped it drained off enough that you couldn't see it. The new pump took care of the rest. It's nice to be able to walk out to the garage without balancing on my makeshift boardwalk. Abby is upset, though. She no longer gets to wallow in the mud and leave interesting patterns of soil on the carpet. The gravel has put an end to all that. It's not pretty, but it's a temporary fix. Hopefully next year I'll be able to find the money to rent a Bobcat or a Backhoe for a day. The back yard needs some serious grading to control the drainage. Ok. I'd come up with any excuse to use heavy equipment, but I really do need it. While doing it all with a shovel and a wheelbarrow would result in a physique that would put the Bowflex models to shame, it would take me forever to get it done. Can you imagine that? Still digging up the yard at my 40th birthday? Totally buff and growing out my hair?

"What is the meaning of Life?"




"To crush your honey-do list, to see it driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the dogs." (It's more impressive if you read that with an Austrian accent.)

The Little Dog Who Cried "Woof!"

As 2009 nears an end, I take the time to reflect upon the events of the last twelve months. A lot has happened since New Years' Day, 2009. We completed our kitchen renovation, and a lovely kitchen it is. We no longer enjoy the "convenience" of preparing dinner and cleaning the dryer lint filter at the same time, but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make. The bathroom also received a bit of a facelift, with new paint, vanity, mirror, and tile floor. The laundry room is completed, although I still need to build and install the cabinets. I had knee surgery, started going back to school, entered the ranks of the unemployed, became a Mr. Mom (which is a job, less the paycheck), and several other events I am certain to remember when I am more fully awake.

Of all the things that have happened this year, the one thing that has made the most impact on my life is Abigail M. Aussie. For those of you in the know, Abby is our miniature Australian Shepherd. I wanted to name her Fizzgig, after the character in Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal". I was overruled by the rest of the family so now we have Abigail. She's a cute little dog, very sweet for about 80% of the time, but occasionally she show's her other side. The side that likes to chew on everything. The side that harbors some deep resentment-dare I say, hatred- of carpet. Or maybe I'm wrong and it's actually a love of carpet that drives her to defile it every so often. Maybe it's just her way of adding to the decor.

The one thing that sticks out in my mind is that bark. I am not a fan of canine opera. It just doesn't bring out the best in me. For most of this past year I have not bothered to turn on my alarm clock. Abby always starts barking around 5:30am every morning. Sometimes it's a little later, sometimes earlier if someone makes a little noise and she thinks someone is awake to let her loose. I have to admit that lately I've become a little immune to the bark, but it still wakes me at some point in the morning. I don't know how long she has been barking this morning, but I didn't bother to get out of bed until 6:30. Most mornings I wake, but refuse to get out of bed. This has allowed me some opportunity to wonder if there is some sort of message in the bark, one with a deeper meaning than "Hey guys! Let me out! I gotta pee!"

It may just be the fog of sleep, but I have noticed a pattern to the bark. It never changes. Three sharp barks, followed by one, two, or three barks equally spaced. It sounds like Morse Code. I try to remember my code from Boy Scouts, but it's fuzzy. If I apply the code, the first three barks are the letter "S". The next three are where it gets fuzzy. One would be the letter "E", two the letter "M", and three the letter "O". These barks are repeated in sequence over and over again. It's the same every morning. I can't decide if she's sending out an "SOS", or barking "SEM" every morning. I know what "SOS" means, if the code is to be applied, but what the heck is "SEM"? Is it a word that means something to canines? Is it an acronym for some phrase in dog? It is possible she is saying "SO" over and over again. I haven't figured that out. I may actually figure it out in time, if I don't lose my mind, first. I think I may need to look for clues to the meaning of the bark in some old "Lassie" episodes. Maybe she's been trying to tell us that someone has fallen down a well.

First Snow!!!!

It has been raining all day long. It has rained a lot, lately. On average it seems to have rained every other day for the last week. Makes the yard pretty soggy. Today however, we got some snow. Not much, just a flurry for a couple of hours. It won't accumlate, since the ground is still too warm and soggy, but it's cool to see. We might have a good snow when winter really gets here, in January or February. I tried to get some pictures of the snow, but it didn't show up on the film.

Anyway, here are the latest pictures of the laundry room. I just need to build the cabinets, now.