Ready or not...

...it's 2013!  I don't think Wiley is all that ready...

Kev and I have had a super quiet day, if you don't count the football noises coming from the TV off and on since this afternoon.  It's been nice starting the new year off with a day of no urgency, no to do lists, just rest and laziness.  Unfortunately, both of us have kinda felt a little bit crappy today, so looks like our 2013 is probably going to begin fighting the cold/flu that's been going around a lot.  Could be worse... someone could have taken our photograph while laying spread eagle with our privates in full view, just to make fun of us...

Make a new plan, Stan!

I left the air conditioner set to 69 degrees last night and woke up freezing.

Kev and Sam are off on their boys weekend together, and Joyce and Mike spent the night over at Bay City, so you would think I'd have a nice, quiet evening with the house all to myself. But no. Murray and Ollie make a surprising amount of noise for 2 such small kittens. They are apparently curious about everything, and will try anything to investigate. Also, I deeply regret purchasing those cat toys Sam selected... the ones that have little bells or make noise.

Another purchase at PetSmart was a covered cat litter box with a swinging front door. We have this downstairs right now, and it will stay where it is until both kittens are done with their recovery from getting fixed and declawed (which won't happen for at least another month). Then it's going elsewhere. I don't really care where, just not in the far corner of our livingroom. A place where Wiley cannot get to it, preferably, since my formerly amazing dog has decided that litter-covered cat turds are treats. Gag.

I keep seeing this little Chevy S10 red pickup truck on M-20:


I am hating football season. Sam is doing two-a-days now, and his knee is a major source of pain. Along with other varied and many bruises and injuries. Like how his teammate managed to poke Sam in both eyes during practice. Sam's eyes were very red; it made me feel so sick to look at his eyes... words can't do it justice. So we made a trip to Urgent Care to check on any corneal damage. We had to go into the "eye room" where the doctor put that yellow dye in each of his eyes, then turned off the lights in the room and held the blacklight up to Sam's face. My freaky purple boy...


No lasting damage thank goodness. Unlike his knee, by the way. Our final visit to the surgeon a couple of weeks ago went like this: It Didn't Take. That's what the doc said. The cadaver ligament patch to Sam's PCL apparently didn't work. Sam was told to wear his brace and play football like he doesn't have a knee injury. All that for nothing. I can't explain how I feel because once again, words can't do it justice.

On my way home from work the other day I saw 2 young men walking on a sidewalk along M-20. Even from a distance I could tell they weren't the type of men I'd invite over to my house for a visit. As I got closer, I saw one of them, a very tanned, very skinny young man with is shirt off and thrown over his shoulders and his jeans so far down that mostly his entire boxer-covered ass was in view (how in the hell he can walk like that, I don't know)... anyway... he had a tattoo that was below his belly button but above his low slung boxers. That was the only tattoo I could see on his torso, and it was odd. Got me wondering... if it had been on his back, it'd be called a tramp stamp, so what is it called on the front?... this required an answer from the Internets! Go ahead, Google (or Bing or whatever) "tramp stamp" and perhaps you, too, will be educated as I was. I did not know it stood for something that specific to some people. And what is a male equivalent of tramp you ask?... there is none, i.e., "Words for a promiscuous woman are invariably derogatory, but words for a promiscuous man are frequently perceived as compliments."

I sure do see some interesting sites along M-20. A while back, on a very hot and muggy day, I saw an old man - he looked close to 80 years old - driving a lawn mower. This old guy had his shirt off, and the effect of gravity on an old person's body was in great evidence. He was bouncing along in his yard, at a pretty good clip, mowing his crappy looking yard without a care in the world. Oddly enough, it was kind of a rewarding site. I think he was probably going so fast so that he got a bit of a breeze, and he clearly didn't give a damn what anybody thought. I liked that. Made me smile.

I am still adjusting to my CPAP machine plus some other medical issues that are too boring to discuss, but my eBay phase continues. I like to choose a word, any word, and search all categories to see what is the most expensive thing. Try it, you will be astounded... or at least you will shake your head just a bit in disgust, as I do. Folks, there are some weird people out there. And also some islands for sale. With waterfalls!

One category is for selling gift cards and gift certificates. Like if you got a fifty dollar gift card to Appleby's for your birthday but you really just want the cash instead, then sell it on eBay! You will get $48.97 for it. Seriously. Perhaps even $49.97. If you have a Wal-Mart gift card or store credit (from a store return), you could even earn money! For some reason, Wal-Mart gift cards on eBay sometimes sell at auction for more then the value of the card. Will someone please explain that shit to me?! Crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I regret my search on the word "taxidermy"...







And more craziness... people are quite creative in their endeavor to con you out of your cash...



Something wonderful awaits! Yes, wonderful cash for the seller from the sucker who won that auction. I also rediscovered this eBay category, which I had forgotten existed...



and I found these auctions...



I could not resist, and so I did a search for such craziness in completed auctions. Folks, there are some downright less than intelligent people out there...



One cent, ok maybe, for curiosty's sake... but four bucks on a mystery envelope? That's just dumb. So please see any of my 4,000 auctions for a mystery envelope. Momma needs a new car. But then I'm creating some pretty bad karma for myself, aren't I? Hmmm... but I can just buy some good karma on eBay!...



Whew!

Happy Birthday to my Dad

My Dad is 81 years old today. I got to wish him a happy birthday early this morning. Dad is always up super early, so sometimes I get to talk with him on the phone while I drive into work. I love that.

Dad and Mom went down to my brother and sis-in-law's, Jim & Sue's, today for lunch. It was a beautiful day today, so I'm sure they had a wonderful, sunny drive and a great time at lunch. Nice way to spend your 81st, Daddy. And I heard Jimmy was making Swedish meatballs, so lucky you!

Joycie took this photo of Dad and Mom at the table after we had Thanksgiving dinner last November. (Wiley is in there, too - he loves Gramma!) I sure hope I look as good as they do when I'm their age, and I hope I have half their strength. I think my parents are the strongest, most wise, most dependable and most loving people I will ever know in my life. I want to be just like them... when I grow up...



Joycie also took this photo of Mom and Dad holding hands at the table. I love this photo.

In the hood, Dawg!

photo credit: Joyce
hoodie: Sam's

Not what I had in mind...

Trying to take a photo of Wiley and me while in the car (no, not while driving!). He doesn't take commands very well. Like at all...


Better...


Almost...


And... NOT WHAT I WANTED!


That was me giving up! (while wiping my lips off...)

Oh, that Wiley...

I think people who live with a Weimaraner end up taking more photos of their dog than perhaps other dog owners, or rather, most other dog owners. I thought I was always taking a kazillion photos of Reilly, our Border Collie, but I seem to be taking way more photos of Wiley. Reilly was very, very expressive in his eyes. Those eyes of his would look right into the core of you. I loved that about him. Border Collies are known to make and keep eye contact with humans longer than most other dog breeds. Reilly also used to listen to us when we talked, I mean really listen. Border Collies are super intellient (I read that in the National Geographic!). If you have ever lived with a Border Collie, you know what I mean about listening. And Reilly's eyes could almost tell me what his response was, kind of what he was thinking. I really miss those eyes.

Now, with Wiley Blu, I know he can hear me and that he is listening (sometimes), but you wouldn't always be able to tell from his actions or reactions that he is listening. He's super smart, but he is also super stubborn. After all these months of living with this dog, he will still only come to me when I call him if: 1) I have food, and 2)... well, really having food is it. Otherwise, he may or may not decide to come to me. Certainly, it's rather rare, compared to Reilly, of Wiley actually looking at me when I talk to him. He will often look towards me, but eye-to-eye contact occurs only once in a while, and then, it doesn't last long. I think that's one major reason I have found myself taking so many photos of this dog. I'm trying to get his expression, his eyes. Rarely successful.

Wiley is a hoot and a half, though, that's for sure. You never know what he's going to do next. He loves to bite and kind of chew on you when he's excited or having fun. Biting is Wiley's form of hugging. And he also loves, loves, LOVES to lick you. Especially if you're hot and sweaty... Wiley has the longest, soppiest tongue, too, so when he's done, you're all wet with dog slobber. If you throw a frisbee at him, he will just watch it fly and look back at you like you're stupid. He does love to take his toy, called his "baby" (calling his toy his baby is something he came with from his previous owners), and play tug with you. He chews through his babies pretty quickly. His "baby" currently is 2 pairs of old socks of mine all tied together, blue and purple. At least there is no stuffing like his other babies. Also, Wiley loves it when I call him "my baby," and when I do, it usually brings on biting or licking. As he is getting older, Wiley is getting a little more affectionate. But still, getting him to cuddle is almost impossible. Unless you're Kevin, and then it's nearly impossible to keep Wiley away. Wiley has decided that Kev is IT. That dog absolutely adores Kevin. Wiley loves the rest of us, too, but Kev's his No. 1. Wherever Kev is, that is usually where you will find Wiley, and Wiley is very content to just sit next to, or on top of, Kev.



If Kev is on the sofa, Wiley worms his way in. Sometimes when Kev falls asleep on the sofa, he will wake up with Wiley almost pushing him off the sofa in his attempt to get as close to Kevin as he can.


And it's a rare ballgame or TV show Kev watches without Wiley.

Another thing that sets Wiley apart from any other dog we've ever had is his pleasure in a car ride. Wiley loves to go in a car (or truck), anywhere, anytime.

Wiley is so long and lanky that he's done some pretty comical moves, but all in all, I think he is the fastest dog we've ever had. When he gets going, you had better watch out and move out of the way. He is one smart pooch.

I'll give you one hint, honey, you sure did put on a show

This morning on the way into work I saw 2 Budweiser semi-trucks. Great big red ones. I called my husband. Since Kev left for work a little bit earlier than I did, he saw only 1 of them. I told him the universe had sent us a sign. It wanted us to stay home from work today and drink Bud. We should obey. But... sadly, he didn't buy it.

I haven't had beer in a while, but I had a few this past Saturday evening. An ice cold beer on a hot muggy evening was very nice. Several were even nicer. Ryan and Megan, two awesome CMU students who were working at the pottery studio, were putting on a wood fire. Ryan had built the wood fire kiln, etc. outside behind the studio building, so we took our lawn chairs and watched them work. And oh my heck, what a great amount of work those 2 did. I took some really cool pictures and will do a post on that.

After we got home, even though it was quite late (for me) and waaaaay past my usual bedtime, I was wide awake. Sammy, Kev and I, and Wiley, ended up watching some TV. We watched a recorded episode of "Royal Pains", the "Comfort's Overrated" episode. This one had a guy who did a "Mac Truck" business, and he sold mac & cheese with lobster out of his truck. It was a good episode, and we like that show.

Kev and Wiley fell asleep together on the sofa. Sammy and I were still wide awake... so we did the best we could with what we had... no mac & cheese with lobster (man! that looked really good on the show, and I'm sure this recipe from Barefoot Contessa would be close or even better!), but we did make Tuna Helper Creamy Broccoli... at about midnight! The box said it would serve 4, but Sam and I split it while watching the latest episode of "Persons Unknown". And though I've heard that show has had some bad reviews, Sammy and I really are enjoying it. It's weird. We're big fans of weird.

I've been trying to listen to the radio station that Sam likes, 102.5. I usually can't stand most of the songs, but there are couple that are ok. Which is a good thing because every single time I turned to 102.5 I hear one of the 2 songs... one about "you think you're cooler than me" and one about "Alonso Fernando". Seriously, I think 102.5 has those 2 songs on a constant repeat, kinda like the French language distress message on "Lost"... over and over. And over.

I listened to 102.5, heard the "you think you're cooler than me", switched over to an "oldies rock 'n roll" station to hear the Stones "Under My Thumb", which would have to be the antithesis song to the 102.5... followed by the most awesome Billy Joel and his song, "Big Shot"... ah, the irony.

Meet Wiley Blu

I mentioned that we had gotten a Weimaraner; his name is Wiley Blu. He was born December 10, 2008, so he is still kind of a puppy... in his actions, not his size!

Wiley Blu, as his name implies, is not the more well-known light brown type; he is a Blue Weimaraner. As such, he is a gorgeous color, even if not accepted by the AKC. He is a beautiful blue-gray color, sometimes looking almost a dark bluish-brown, depends on the light, and he has beautiful yellow-gold eyes.

We do not get pets for their "breeding" or "bloodlines" anyway... we got Wiley because Joycie saw an advertisement for him, knew I had a long-time interest in Weimaraners, knew we did not want a little puppy (and Wiley was just past his 1st birthday when we got him) and so we went to see him. And that was that. He's a beautiful, big dog with a big, beautiful heart.

I had trouble at first in fully accepting him, comparing poor Wiley constantly to our Reilly. Any dog compared to Reilly will come up short. Forever.

But Wiley won us all over in short time. He was raised by a young couple who had a 2-year-old daughter and a baby on the way. They were living in a smaller home, which they had purchased, fixed up and hoped to flip, but then the economy went to H.I.A.H.B., so... stuck in a small home with a toddler and a newborn on the horizon, I can see how Wiley was Just Too Much. He is a huge dog. Where he lived, they allowed him access to all the furniture. This caused some initial problems at his new home, since furniture was off-limits in Kevin's book. But Wiley, unlike Reilly who was long-haired, has short hair and seems to never shed. And just try keeping a dog off the sofa and chairs and beds when he feels fully justified in being as comfortable as he wants on them!

We're still trying to train him into country life, since he was used to city life with a fenced yard. We're also still trying to Wiley-proof the house. He can reach just about anything on the kitchen countertops, and we've lost many a full loaf of bread to his reach. He is also the most awful beggar for food... he loves people food, so if you're eating, he's right there.

So... meet Wiley Blu... who loves to ride in cars...



He likes to ride in Joycie's Impala with his head out the open moonroof, where his big ears can flap in the wind and his jowls fill with air... quite a sight!



Wiley didn't seem to have much trouble adjusting to a new home. He was curious, and he was very playful. He loves wrestling with Sammy, Mike, and sometimes Kevin.









The stairs confused him at first, I think they were the first stairs he encountered. It took him a while to get the hang of them, with his long legs trying to handle each step. Now he bounds up and down them like he's flying. He also enjoys sitting on the steps, about mid-way up so he has a view of the house and the outside through many windows...









What is really funny about this long, lanky dog is how he can curl himself up into a ball when he sleeps... he is so cute...





And it's a good thing he's cute and won us over... coz here's what he did to the back of part of our sectional in the livingroom when playing tag with Blossom, the cat, proving her hiding under the furniture does not present Wiley with any true obstacle....



But how can you stay mad for long at this sweetheart...