Tree Dragging and Other Fun Weekend Games

So ... we finished splitting and stacking the wood for burning this year. Of course, the spot out back where we pile the green wood to season was empty, so DH had the urge to fill it. He took down three trees this weekend. He has his eye on two more in our backyard, and my SIL has three or four she wants taken down at her house.

I try to remind him that, although HE may have time off on the weekends, I don't. So, my days were filled with humping wood and branches, my evenings and morning with computer work.

Still, it was a gorgeous weekend. I did fit a little time off in -- went to the dog park both Saturday and Sunday. One of my favorite pastimes is watching dogs interact with one another. It's incredible how the bad energy from one dog affects an entire group.

We were there alone with Dakota at first, then a lady came with two big dogs: a red boxer mix and what looked like a boxer/mastiff or boxer/pit bull in tan. The second, tan dog was a foster-to-potential-adopt they'd only had for a week, so they weren't sure how he'd behave, though they'd had no trouble with his interaction with other dogs up to this time.

The first dog was clearly alpha. He wasn't mean, just dominant. He made sure Dakota understood (she did!) then went around on his merry way. The second, tan dog was still young (just under a year) and only wanted to play, play, play. He had a great energy and he and Dakota had a blast.

Then came a lady with a black lab mix who was VERY submissive, but also nervous. Still, all four were getting along fine once the lab realized no one was going to eat her.

Then came trouble. An English Sheepdog who was still young (just a year) and felt as though he should be alpha dog. He came in excited, barking and basically telling everyone how it was. The first thing he did was find the little, nervous lab and start barking at it non-stop, constantly in its face. The lab tried to go away, tried hiding under the table, behind people's legs, whatever, but the dog wouldn't leave it alone. When it started showing teeth, though, it was time to intercede (and yeah, I kinda get involved in other people's dogs).

The first red boxer, though, had had enough. And when the sheepdog decided to assert himself to the tan dog (in the red dog's "pack") the real fun began. No real fight, but some very aggressive posturing. Over and over. The owners of the boxer put him on-leash (as they should have), but it took having the sheepdog leave before things settled.

I suspect this happens in groups of people, too, only we don't have the uninhibited responses that dogs do. We understand we can't just get in a person's face and say "I don't like you." and follow them around, shoving them until they understand their place.

I prefer dogs.

And now, I'm out of time already. Hope you all had great weekends! Tomorrow, a NaNoWriMo discussion.

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You Are Reflective

You are very analytical, and you rarely panic. You know that nothing is as big of a crisis as it first seems. You like all of your stuff to be in its place. It drives you crazy to be disorganized. Sometimes your strong sense of responsibility leads to frustration. You take too much on. You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.

The Card Test

HAHAHAHA... yeah, mostly. Not a big "blender" but othewise, right on.

Calm Days and Couponing

“Life's a game, all you have to do, is know how to play it.” - unknown

Yay for quiet days!

We had a pretty uneventful day, yesterday. I am eternally grateful. When we're back into a routine, everyone is happier. Calmer. More peaceful.

I made someone laugh the other day at the dog park when I said I raised my daughter like I raised my dog (she said, "With a choke chain and a crate?"... lol... Okay, so maybe it wasn't EXACTLY the same!). For those of you who watch "The Dog Whisperer" you know that Ceasar is always saying that dogs need "rules, boundaries and limitations". Same with kids.

DD (and Dakota) were given rules, boundaries and limitations. Punishment for disobedience, praise and reward for observing those rules. As a parent, I did my best to be consistent and fair. Inconsistency confuses kids (and dogs). If one day they are allowed to do something and the next they're punished for it, they never know what's right.

I think having a routine is the same. It gives us parameters to how the day should be. And having those parameters makes people (me, at least) calmer.

Speaking of the dog park, I found that one of the ladies there works for Cigna (of the "Monarch Massacre"). She was talking about how "green" they are and was sharing all the green things they do ... so I brought up the field of milkweed, explained about the monarchs and asked if she knew who to contact about their mowing schedule. She did and was going to do it for me. I should find out this coming weekend at the dog park (assuming it doesn't rain) whether she was able to ask them to NOT mow until after the first hard frost. Hopefully there will be no Monarch Massacre this year.

On a fun note, I did my first foray into serious couponing yesterday. I'm not totally crazy -- I have no plans to go the the store and rack up a $1000 bill, then pay $9 for it at the end like the crazy coupon ladies on Extreme Couponing. I'm not going to buy what I don't need. And I don't have 70 hours a week to dedicate to it.

But ... for a few bucks, DD can clip coupons for me. It takes me 30 mins or so to sort through and keep the ones I'll use. Once or twice a week, I'll match them up to flyers, and hit the stores. I'm lucky that I have EVERYTHING in a fairly close radius: CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are about two miles away. WalMart and Target are about five miles away. I have two grocery stores very close (soon to be three).

Here's what I brought home:



Here's what I paid at two stores:




That doesn't look THAT impressive, until you realize I got back $12 in certificates to spend on my next order. So, I paid in total $27 for $92 worth of stuff (a 70% savings). For a couple hours work. If I hadn't bought the paper towels (which were a good deal -- but still costly: $4.99 after sale and coupon) it would have been even more impressive. *G*

Today, I can get toothbrushes free after coupon at WalMart, and I have several coupons. So... go me. If I can cut our grocery / sundries bill in half, I'll be thrilled. I don't need to get everything for free, but cheap would be nice.

And don't worry, I won't bore you will all my shopping hauls... this was my maiden voyage, though, so I had to share!

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You Are Balanced

You are a peaceful and content person. You don't ask too much of yourself or those around you. You are confident and self-assured. You never try to be someone you're not - you believe that you are enough. You have a healthy skepticism about the world. You don't buy into a lot of mainstream values. You've found a better way to live - through deep reflection and understanding yourself.

Are You Bouncy, Bold, Behaved, or Balanced?

About 50% right.

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Monday!

Amount of time it takes for a dog to "do its business" is directly proportional to outside temperature + suitability of owner's outerwear. ~Betsy Cañas Garmon, www.wildthymecreative.com

Whew! What a crazy weekend -- our party had 100 authors and more than 3,000 comments. Fun and craziness abounded. I'm still a bit pooped, but ready to get back to routine.

DH has jury duty this week, so we won't *exactly* be on routine, since he leaves late and gets home early, but even so, more than we have been. DD chose the pieces she's donating to the Brenda Novak Auction this year (she's donating a set of three earrings, a necklace and a bracelet/earring set) and has also started making more new pieces and pulling some older stuff that just doesn't meet her approval now that she's getting so much better at her "job".

We did manage to take Dakota to the dog park both mornings this weekend to get her wiggles out. She had loads of fun, except when she was being beat up on. I said something to another person about Dakota being a 99 pound weakling, and they said "She's 99 pounds?" ... am I the only one who gets what I meant?

Thankfully we didn't get the snow they were predicting. It was plenty cold (our trips to the dog park only lasted 30 mins or so), but no new white stuff, for which I am eternally grateful. We're expecting a warm up this week into the 40s as well, so I'm thinking spring might actually arrive as scheduled.

I'm hoping to get caught up on reading blogs, and do a little writing today. We'll see. Depends on how focused DD will be at school -- she's been a wee bit difficult of late.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Monday and a great week!

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You Are Warmhearted

You are a truly kind and loving person. You care for others deeply, and it's not an act. You are one tough cookie, even though it isn't always apparent from the outside. You have a lot of inner strength, and you can dig deep when you need to. You are both patient and persistent. You are willing to wait for someone to come around.

The Bra and Panties Quiz

About 75% right...

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Just Rambling...

I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying. ~George Bird Evans, Troubles with Bird Dogs

So ... DD got a custom order request for necklace/earring sets for Christmas gifts, and has been working diligently on them. The first necklace ended up being too small (put the "choke" into choker) so had to be taken apart. The first earrings were too big (the person wanted "dainty" on that particular set).

She spilled her box of beads once. Spilled her nearly microscopic crimp beads. Spent hours working and only ended up with one set that made it through Q. A. (that's me *G*).

She's learning what it means to work for a living. I think that's good. I'll post pictures of the set once we have natural light to work with (it looks better than flash).

We ran by the dog park for a few minutes yesterday. It's gotten to the point now that whenever we drive anywhere in the area, Dakota starts to pace and whine and fuss. So, when I have the time to stop, I take her.

Yesterday, there were three unaltered, male large breed dogs there. A gorgeous harlequin Great Dane, a half grown (but still big as a house) Neapolitan mastiff, and a good sized Golden Retriever.

The thing that cracked me up, though, was that they pretty much ignored Dakota (the only female in the bunch, albeit spayed) and the two largest dogs decided on making the Golden their ... ahem... girlfriend.

If I had been the owner of the golden, I would have stepped in because he was really being picked on. They weren't aggressive, but the two dogs were so big that the golden simply could NOT get away.

Oh well. I'm just glad they left Dakota alone.

The funny thing was, though, that she's gotten used to having a bath when we get home from the dog park on Saturday. THOSE days, she ends up rolling around in the urine-soaked sand (sounds yummy, huh?) and there's no way she gets to live in the house again until she's thoroughly bathed. We get home, she goes in the tub, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

Now she associates bath with dog park so even on the days she doesn't roll around (like yesterday) when we get home, she walks in the house and puts herself in the tub. And waits. And she will NOT get out unless we wash her off in some way. I've started rinsing her feet off...

She HATES baths. But she knows her duty. Good puppy. :-)

As a side note, I watched a show on PBS the other day, Nova: Dogs Decoded, which was very interesting to me. I recommend dog owners give it a watch if they can.

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You Are Easygoing and Forgiving

Your sense of humor is goofy and silly. You try to never hurt people with your jokes. You are the type of person who does well with math, writing, and other academic subjects. You are a good student. You have fun when you're doing something new. You crave novelty and different experiences. You are the type of person who completes projects easily. You like to do one thing at a time.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Oracle

Hmmm..... 75/25 I think.

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Gorgeous Weather!

There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it. ~Ovid, Metamorphoses

The weather has been just lovely the past few days -- into the 60s and mostly sunny. It's hard to buckle down and work! Yesterday, we took the dog to a nearby dog park. She was so overwhelmed by everything: the space the other dogs, the smell (OY! The smell ... even I was overwhelmed by that, yuck). Within about ten minutes, she looked rabid! Drool frothing from her mouth, lol.

She had a great time, and they have agility equipment, so when we could get her attention we worked her on that. All the dogs, save one, were very friendly and fun. One dog decided he had to prove he was Big Dog on Block and proceeded to hump whatever he could catch (including Dakota) and/or attack it. The owner kept grabbing him and yelling, but she wouldn't just leave with him, so we only stayed about half an hour. Had he not been there, we would have hung out a little longer.

I've looked at the long range forecast, and there isn't even a whisper of frost (lowest temps are said to be in the mid-forties), so either this weekend, or next Monday, I'm putting in my garden. I can't wait!!!

I got my Vole Control bait stations in the mail and will be putting those out as well. I'm still terribly upset by it and wish I could have found ANY other way to get the buggers off my property, but at this point it's us or them -- and for such tiny creatures they do massive amounts of destruction. My SIL has a friend who is exceptionally short on money, but would like to have a nice flower garden and asked me if I had extras. Normally, I have TONS of extra flowers because everything spreads like crazy (On my street, I'll just announce that my nursery is open, and folks come for any stuff they need, lol), but this year I don't have as much to share because I have to replace what the voles decimated. I really, really don't want to do this again next year.

Nothing new on the writing front, unfortunately, but we are lining up help where we can at the LASR site, so hopefully I'll be able to free up a little time (??).

Now, gotta get moving for the day!! Have a great one. :-)

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You Are Bitter

You aren't bitter at the world, even though you have a strong personality. Instead, you are sophisticated and cultured. You appreciate acquired tastes. You are very powerful. You have the ability to change a room's energy. While some may find you disagreeable, your points of view are intelligent and interesting.

What Taste Are You?

There were a couple questions here that I wanted to answer both ways! Ah well, I am an acquired taste *G*.

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