Well…so much for the winter storm alert (note the pitiful, teensy weeny skiff of snow on the ‘shroom). Apparently the storm veered south of us. There was bupkus snow on the ‘shroom when we passed by it again over the weekend. I originally thought someone had maybe hauled it off but then realized I was looking in the wrong block. Sam wasn’t all that impressed with its size or the lack of snow. Maybe he’s just bummed there was no snow for him to romp in. But then again, I reminded him that he’d have had to wear his snow boots and he assured me that would not be the best way for him to start the week off.
Bigger but not better. What’s with the no snow show?
Wouldn’t it be grand to have a job where you could be wrong nearly 100% most of the time and still get paid oodles of dough? Don’t know about you, but I think I’d like THAT job!
Having been retired for a year now, I often wonder if after 25 years of pranks like this were why the firm wasn’t all that ‘sorry‘ to see me leave (actually the boss I pulled this on enjoyed it but boy was he surprised once he realized there was an inch of water in each of those cups). Bwahaha! Sadly I wasn’t able to fit all 150 cups in this photo but you get the idea. Perhaps my two knuckleheads are payback for these kinds of shenanigans. You think?
Oh little Red Solo cup…you make me smile.
Here’s hoping any pranks coming your way today make you smile. Happy weekend.
The title of this post was written by that popular nineteenth century American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his classic poem “The Rainy Day.” It’s meaning is ‘this too we shall survive.’
It was that meaning made me reflect on some uncharacteristic weather that we’ve experienced for the past several days. Lots of grey overcast conditions, nothing like the 300+ days of sunshine those of us who are lucky enough to live in Colorado generally experience. The weather in fact was not only grey and dreary, the humidity was significant enough it left us a rather large present along our typical cityscape ambling yesterday morning. While little mushrooms aren’t uncommon after rainy weather, this one took me by surprise.
‘Shroom anyone?
The little Miss Ninja wasn’t that keen on trying to avoid photo bombing her brother so much either. But her reliable stay…well…let’s just say it ain’t all that reliable and no need to take unnecessary chances, right? It was a feat keeping Sam sitting next to this huge mushroom that sprouted up overnight, keeping Elsa out of the frame and me able to hang on to her with a bag of poop to dispose of, all the while not dropping the phone or dropping the leash. But us moms are jugglers if anything. Over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that large of a mushroom after a day of rain in Denver and had to capture it. I know it looks like a gnarly tree stump but trust me…that was one. mega. fungus!
Cheers for a great Friday and an even better weekend. Yikes, just realized April starts this weekend. Got any April Fool’s Day pranks prepared that you’re willing to share?
When I prepared the post for today, I realized I neglected to acknowledge a bit of trivia associated with today. So today will be a twofer with two posts. Affectionately known as Pi Day and celebrated in the US on March 14. A nod to the mathematical constant known as π (pi), this day is a fun day to eat pie, throw pies and discuss the significance of the number. March 14 is also the birthdate of Albert Einstein, the well-recognized theoretical physicist. So today, I say, Happy Birthday, Al and would someone please pass some pie?!
It is well known this upright is horrid with math, but any day associated with pie…irrational or not…well that’s an entirely different equation. Got any cool Pi Day plans?
I had been meaning to make these treats for the fur-kids fur-ever… so over the weekend I finally got my rear in gear and made sweet potato chews.
Talk about easy-peasy! Just wash and thinly slice yams or sweet potatoes and let a dehydrator do it’s thing. It’s not even necessary to de-skin them. A few hours later (depending on the thickness of your slices) and Voila! ~ sweet potato chews.
Dehydrated chews ready for noshing
Don’t have a dehydrator? No sweat. Bake them in in a 250° F oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 3 hours, turning half-way through. They should come out soft but chewy. If you want something a bit crisper, add 30 minutes to the baking. Cool and store in an airtight container in the frig for up to 3 weeks (or freeze them for up to 4 months). I used a mandolin to slice mine because it’s quicker (or so I thought) but be careful, those amazing slicers suckers can slice through anything…including your hand. It took longer to treat my wound than it did the actual slicing and placing on the racks. Apologies for the image exposures for these last two images. I felt lucky to be able to take a photo with my left hand.
So I learned two things this past weekend…(1) how to make a tasty, easy-to-make and healthful treat that my dogs loved and (2) be careful with trying to force something through the slicer as you are likely to slip especially if you thought you could do ‘one last swipe’ without the benefit of the food guard which should be used without exception. For anyone with an IKEA nearby, I suggest buying their fabulous Band-Aids, those things are truly AMAZING and super inexpensive.
So did you do anything productive over the weekend? Hopefully it was something safe. Happy Mo(a)nday.
Boy this past weekend sure was a cluster weather wise, wasn’t it? Hope everyone is safe and warm now. Yesterday was very windy and melted most of our 6″ of snow and the temps were more than decently warm for January.
Seems like juggling is now my newest winter hobby, because a girl just can’t have enough hobbies, right? No, I’m not talking about juggling balls, more like juggling pet and people and assembling their clothing. Originally I was going to call this post “Dressed for Success” because of how I have to bundle me and two dogs up for our walks during cold weather. Then I thought, “Hmm, can I really claim success” when clearly I suck at it?!
When it’s bitter cold, it’s probably best to dress in layers, right? I figured layers would keep me sufficiently warm. And I was right. But half way through even a shortened walk, I started to feel like I was about to ignite, it’s so hot. Notice the dogs’ coats and the Michelin Man puffy coat. I’m also wearing a sweater and fleece pants, lined Sorrel boots, hat, mittens and sunglasses for the glare. All those needs to be put on inside the house. On the days when snow boots are put on the dogs, you can add at least another 20 minutes trying to cover 8 paws before leaving. Mittens are the final go-to item to put on once outside to be able to lock the door when I leave and by now I’m already starting to overheat after dressing the dogs (“could you please hold still while I buckle all these straps?”), pulling the boots on, zipping the coat and making sure there are plenty of poop bags on board. Mittens are a blessing for keeping normally cold hands a bit more toasty, I rationalize. There’s just one problem with mittens.
What ‘cha doing back there, mom?
How in the bloody-blue-blazes do you hold two leashes, keep the dogs going in the same direction, maintain your balance on an icy sidewalk and then try to pull out a waste bag with mittens? I mean, it’s all I can do to get the darn things on, and the second one is pulled up with my teeth and now I have to remove one in order to pull the bag out, and try to open it up. Meanwhile the Ninja has spotted a squirrel and is laser focused on that, all the while trying to stretch as close as possible to said squirrel and as far away from me as possible. Think drawn and quartered. Now that Sam has squeezed out a ‘deposit,’ he wants to get away from the steaming pile ASAP, which translates into “let’s wrap the leash around mom’s legs, behind her.”
Can anyone explain to me how to separate the ends of the bags so you can easily open them? Is there some secret trick? Even in the best of winter weather, it’s like trying to tear sheet metal apart. I’ve even tried tearing them off in advance, opening and separating the ends and putting them in my pocket of the jacket which normally results in enough static electricity being generated to re-glue them back together again or the bag surreptitiously slides out of the pocket leaving me back at square one with a mittened hand that needs to be pulled off and somehow separate those closed ends in order to pick up the poop.
By now I’m wigged out, sweating like a pig, all the while trying to corral the dogs without being knocked over, bending over the deepest spot of snow Sam could find, while securely holding on to both leashes, the bag, and now a fat mitten. And just for giggles, the hat has slid down over my eyes. How am I supposed to reposition the hat with those stupid mittens on? Could it possibly get any better?
So yeah, dressing for success in the winter time during cold spells isn’t exactly my story. Mittens, smittens. Blech! Juggling is apparently my new hobby this winter.
How do you ‘dress for success?’ Do you have challenges with waste bags?
Well…it was bound to happen. Again. Right? Sam here. The sister who shall remain nameless is back at it again. No, it’s not that she’s having seizures (she has been seizure free for just over 6 weeks now) but she is on another spree of destruction. Recently yet another pair of reading glasses (Oakley’s no less–gah!!) fell victim to the massacre inflicted by those chompers of her’s. What IS it about eyewear that so intrigues that dog??
She also managed to destroy an alligator watchband. An $85 watch band that was a special order last year. Could that be karmic? I mean, no doubt the folks at PETA would be very unhappy with her knowing about that watch band.
When mom first saw the carnage, she though perhaps the glasses could be salvaged but once you put on a pair of glasses that aren’t defective, you can see the deep scratches/pits on the lens and she also left the deep teeth marks on both of the temple pieces (even if they were able to be straightened out…which said puncture marks end up scratching the skin). The glasses were relatively new as well. #ohthatdog!
If that wasn’t bad enough, she ate mom’s breakfast over the weekend when we went to visit my Grandma who had surgery about 10 days ago (P.S. it was a success-yay…color me one happy hound dog…I 💗 Grandma!!). Mom was helping her out when that sneaky little nameless Ninja scarfed down her breakfast muffin in a nano-second. When mom went to eat her breakfast, all she saw was the upturned plate on the floor and a couple of crumbs. That little monster just blinked at her like she had no idea about what had just happened…not to mention not showing the slightest bit of remorse, I might add. At least mom’s got religion about disciplining her especially where food is concerned. With the ‘howlidays’ around the corner, it’s even more important that she doesn’t ingest something toxic from our recent article about foods dogs should not eat.
Have you ever had such a knuckleheaded brat for a sister that causes all sorts of havoc in your household? What did you do, short of exiling her to an abandoned island?
Ever have one of those days? I keep asking myself why is it Apple has to ‘update’ its operating software all the time, yet it can’t seem to ‘fix’ the darn auto-correct function so I don’t look a moron half of the time? Hope your midweek is going well and is fast forwarding on toward Friday when our friend Wine drops by.
Decision 2016 and its aftermath has been quite confusing. So confusing in fact, I think Mother Nature is as off kilter as I am.
While walking the dogs last night, I saw this on the outside of my garden fence. I mean aren’t poppies supposed to be spring bloomers? What the heck is this thing doing blooming now…in freaking November, no less??!! This reminds me of the scene from Ghostbusters where Bill Murray’s character (Dr. Venkman) quipped “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria!” To say it’s been one very weird week is an understatement. Or is this nature’s homage to Veteran’s Day on Friday? Is it that simply?
How are you holding up after the election? Hope you’re getting and receiving loads of pup hugs while you’re sorting it out; I know I am.
Well, at least gone until next Spring. Don’t forget to set your clocks back Saturday night and ‘sleep in’ an extra hour this Sunday unless you live in Hawaii, Arizona, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and parts of Indiana. I still keep wondering why the rest of us go through this reset twice a year. Sounds like something Facebook would do.
No one asks for it.
It messes everyone up.
Just when you’re used to it, they change it…again.
Besides, everyone just loves turning back their clocks and resetting watches so it’s dark by 4 pm. Said no one ever.
On the plus side, I think my car clock will be ‘correct’ now till next Spring. Does the return to standard time mess up your bio-rhythms? How do you and your pets handle the switch back to ‘regular’ time?
The title of this post was written by that popular nineteenth century American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his classic poem “The Rainy Day.” It’s meaning is ‘this too we shall survive.’
