Happy 60th Birthday, Kathleen!!!

I'm glad we were there to celebrate with you!

Happy Birthday,Eric!

Have a great day!
Love Mom

Doggy friends

I watch my friends dogs when they need someplace to put their dogs for a week or a weekend.....like a kennel. I do this because I love dogs...
There have been times I have had as many as 5 dogs here at the same time. I have had my regulars over the years. Tara(may she rest in peace) was a favorite....she loved to come and play with Chelsea(eventually Tessie but she had to warm up to her)....Tara was a soft coated wheaten and was very smart...she always remembered the boundaries for our electric fence. We didn't even have to put a battery in the electric collar(she had her own when she came for a sleepover)and she stayed in our yard.

My friend Peter, has Dasha who is a yellow lab. Dasha is beautiful and now lives in the Czech Republic... But the first time he came over and commented that Dasha had taken to digging holes in his yard...he was a little(ok a lot!!) taken aback when the husband said that he didn't need to worry that we know how to correct hole digging.....just fill the hole that the dog dug up with water and then stick the dog's nose into it until they almost drown....he was very calm and matterof fact when he said this.....Peter's eye brows flew up to his hairline and I really thought that if there was any other place to put Dasha, he would!! It all worked out very well...Dasha must have heard what happens to dogs that dig in our yard and never once(we had her for a few weeks one summer while Peter was in the Czech Republic visiting)dug a hole.

Other dogs we watch are Nikki-the akita/lab who is VERY scary looking but the biggest cupcake on the face of the earth! The next door neighbors brain-damaged(my word) golden retriever.....I blame this solely on one of their sons' who loves to roughhouse with her and totally screws her up......Skitsy(may she rest in peace)....the border collie who loved to try and "herd" us......by barking and nipping at our heels.......her owners LOVED getting her back after a week since she didn't bark nearly as much or nip hardly at all.....so I ask you.....why was that? Because we (I) have standards for the dogs I watch......Can't be annoyed with me if I train them to what I like.

All of this leads up to .......Clancy.......

Nikki was here for the long weekend and let me tell you......she does NOT think that Clancy is as cute as a button.
More of an annoyance that needs to be dealt with. For being an 11 y/o dog, Nikki did ok with him but it took the first 3 days for her to figure out he wasn't leaving.....

Here is a picture of life with Nikki, Clancy( the puppy) and Tessie.

AS usual,Tessie is ignoring all that is going on around her....and Nikki is trying to tell Clancy that she can bark louder than he can.....ultimately they settled down but Nikki was not relinquishing her spot in the chain of "alpha" dog.

So my standards have had to be revisited. I know, I know....who would've thought???? but you have not met Clancy.....he is actually getting better at his behavior....the choke collar helps....but it takes awhile for his doggy brain to figure out what he is doing or what we want him to do. I still watch my friends dogs....

but now they have to WANT to put up with my puppy!

Spring Cleaning

I went outside to take the puppy for his constitutional. As I was standing waiting for him to go do his thing, I started picking up the debris left over from winter. Then I went and got the pruners, then the rake, then the yard debris bags......needless to say, I was out for quite a while....as fast as I could put the stuff in the bag, Clancy was just as quick trying to get it out!!

I did get my perinnial garden looking much better. I don't clean it out before winter as I think it will be easier to clean in the spring.


I might have to rethink that view.

Scholastic Bowl

I am a coach for Scholastic Bowl. I am now a moderator through the state I live in. This means that I can be asked to moderate an event for schools that want to host a Scholastic Bowl event and need a moderator(reader). You might remember that I am a phenomenal rule follower(see here http://letmebeblunt.blogspot.com/2006/03/coaching.html)
and today I was a moderator for a junior high near me...this is my second time doing this for this tournament. I am really good at moderating.....I know this because many people have told me so .....other coaches, other moderators, my students I coach....trust me...they have had to live through bad readers this season (this is due to the fact that coaches take turns reading the questions during a match in your league play) and we have been in 2 tournaments this year where they hire moderators to read ---my team came in 2nd -lost by 4 points once and 5 points to the same team at TWO different tournaments----ACKKKK!!
A side note here.....my High school team (I coach the Frosh/Soph level)has come in first in our league for the second year in a row :) YEAH!!
Also, and here is the BIGGY, I am a RULE FOLLOWER and I do NOT take kindly to junior high coaches telling me I am wrong(....ok ok...there ARE a FEW differences in junior high....but I KNOW what they are...thanks anyway....)

So, today......I moderated 5 different games.....9 different schools.....and 7 coaches told me what a wonderful job I did.....and one coach had a MAJOR melt down over one of my calls.

Listen up people......don't EVER argue with the moderator because...and here is a news flash...WE have final say....right OR wrong and if you have pissed me off........well, don't count on me reversing my decision.

'nuff said.

family stuff

I married a man who is the oldest of 10 children....6 boys and 4 girls. There is a 24 year age span between my husband and his youngest sister. The order for them is boy, girl, boy, boy, boy, boy, girl, boy, girl, girl (not only do I know their names....I also know when their birthday and YEAR is--not that I remember them to send cards or anything...I just know them!). Between all of them there are 22 grandchildren..11 boys...11 girls and 1 greatgrandchild (girl)..and she is ADORABLE.. & will be 2 soon.)
This means I (we)have a lot of nieces and nephews and last night I got to see the newest edition and youngest of the clan who is in visiting from the John Deere capital of the world (Iowa). Her mommy is the youngest of the siblings and has 2 older girls so theirs is a house of pink. This is also the sister who was 6 when I met her and does not remember a time that I was not in the family(having married her oldest brother 31 years ago....makes me feel old!!)Also, this is the sister I introduced to "creme rinse"---we call that conditioner now!!--and she has always felt that was a life altering experience that hair washing didn't have to mean TANGLES!!
I can relate to this more than one would realize because I am from a family of 3 girls...the middle child...I still marvel that my dad survived our teenage years as we only had ONE bathroom...and all 5 of us had to use it. I timed my alarm clock so I was the first one up in order to shower, brush teeth, etc...cause once your time came and went you either never got back in to the bathroom or..and here is the part that prompted my early rising....you had to go in when dad was in getting ready for work---never a pretty picture.
I looked at the three little girls last night, the mommy (who is looking pretty darn good for having a 2 month old) and the dad(looks like he is on VACATION) and the adorable sisters --who are 10 and 7 and realize how much fun they are going to have in the future....Been there, done that, don't want to do it again!!! but , boy, watching all the activity...

I need to go reassess how busy I thought I was with the 5 month old puppy.......