Don't LOOK ETHEL!!!!

It's too late, she's already been "mooned". Please use caution with the pictures below. They should NOT be viewed by small children, dogs or those eating supper!! G

I'm going in! Yep, honestly, this is getting crazy. Someone needs to take the tour down Myrtle's bowels and get to the root of the problem. As you assess the situation you think "no problem", my butt can fit in that hole. The opening is 15" by 19", I might mention here that 25% of that is taken up by a vent. I was really wishing I wouldn't have eaten so much for supper!

The plan was to wear my coveralls and a hoodie, but it was not to be. I think I would have been snagged and stuck with my coveralls on. So off they came. Sorry kids, I'm in my red LLBean red bottoms and I'm pretty sure they do NOT want to use this picture for advertising!! BH!!

The first order of business is how to get in, feet first or head first. I went for feet first as I could use the beams to "swing" myself into the hole. Then Bill willing PUSHED me in. At this point I asked if I was "earning my new camera" at which point he advised that the problem wasn't fixed yet. CRAP. Then all I could think about was getting stuck and having to call 911 which would bring Joe the Feed Store guy to our house. OH LORD!!! This can NOT happen.

Once in and under the water lines I was able to roll over so my head was to the NW corner of the house. This is where I needed to be. I could not reach the corner of the pipe that freezes as there were too many pipes in my way. I tried to get the electric tape around but it was just impossible to do with one hand. The other had to try to keep my face out of the dirt. I did manage to get some insulation tape around some of the pipe, but I don't think it's really going to have much positive impact.

The one thing that will help is there was a fairly good size hole in which the cables from the air condition were coming in. (like we ever use that!!!). So Bill ran up to find some old t-shirts (yep Farmered up again!!!) to shove in while I laid down in the crawl space by myself. (Or should I say, me and the 50+ spider eggs sacks!!) Of course this is when the heat lamp (my light source) was flickering on and off. We are talking pitch black. F!! So I whistled for Bill to hurry before the "second coming" and he arrived with two "old" t-shirts. I plugged the hole and then we had to figure out the best way to get out. Yes, believe it or not, Bill wanted me back out!!

So we briefly discussed. Head first or feet first? We decided on feet, figuring if my butt could make it through the rest would follow. Boy were we in luck, it worked!!

I learned I'm not claustrophobic. That's good news!! Hopefully Myrtle's plumbing will begin moving nicely, otherwise I might have to spend the morning at home and toilet sit. Boy, like the people at work will believe that!! I think we just might have to include Myrt on our taxes this year.

I think I just "might" have leverage for that camera!!

Moaning Myrtle STRIKES AGAIN!!!

Oh for crying out loud! Am I the only one with a frozen toilet!! I came home early today in order to baby sit Myrtle. My only job was to flush once an hour whether I "needed" to or not. CRAP!! (no I didn't!!!) I apparently didn't flush often enough as the little witch (I say in the most loving tone) froze up on me! UGH!! So heat lamp and space heater are trying to work their magic in an ever losing battle of the frozen pipes.

Blizzard conditions out here right now (4:41 pm) and I am so NOT lying. I have never seen anything like this. I wanted to make some cookies, but no eggs in the fridge. Bill should be pulling into the lane any minute. I hope he makes a run to the chicken house on his way in. VBG We'll see. I'm thinking once he's in he'll be done. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

I keep looking out at the big Cottonwood tree, I think this would be the day the top would come down. At least we'd have wood for the bonfire.

Looking at "big girl" cameras today, but I'm think Bill will think they are a little too pricey and point out that I don't need to keep up with the "M". I reassured him that I'm not and I'm trying to keep up with "S". LOL That didn't get me very far either, so for now I'm just going to sit back and drop a LOT of hints. G

I down loaded a Pirate computer game via Disney today. WOW!! Talk about directions!! I think I'll be retired before I can actually play it. No wonder kids are so computer smart! YIKES!

I did get on the treadmill this am. The inside of my legs why up front are as sore as can be. It's all I can do to walk. Not from running....it's from that short pony ride Sunday. Who would have thought that little bit of riding and posting would cause so much pain!! But I jumped on the TM at 4 am and did 2.88 miles (I know, not much) Mostly at a walk, I'd walk (hobble) 2 - 10ths and then run 1 - 10th.

TM's can be so boring that I have to make up my own little game. I'd walk, then do my 10th at 5 mph, then walk, 6mph, walk, 7 mph. You get the idea. My fastest setting is 10 mph and I've never been brave enough to use it. This am I thought what the "H" so.....I did a 10th at that speed....TWICE!! Trust me, it couldn't slow down fast enough. G

Looks like Poppa is home.....better go and remind him about the eggs I need! Wish me LUCK!!
OMG!!! He's heading that way!! G

Okay,I know I'm sadistic. I had to go watch out the south window. He made it to the chicken house. On his way back he's ducking down to keep his face out of the wind. I thought I'd better send out reinforcements (aka the search and rescue team)....SEEKER! G He barrels out so now Bill is trying to protect the eggs and his um...privates. LOL Along with ducking from the wind. They all made it safely back inside, so now off to make some cookies for this weekend. Peanut Butter with chocolate chips.

Busy SUNDAY!!!

It was suppose to get nice and warm today, 37 degrees!! So I wanted to be sure to take advantage of the nice weather while we had it. This morning however it was still pretty chilly, so I completed a couple scrapbook pages and listened to the play "Sweeney Todd" for the 3rd time in 3 days. G

Finally it was in the low 20's so I went out to bring the ponies in and FINALLY work with them after a 6 week respite. So I put on Adam's English saddle and we headed East. Just a 3 mile ride or so as he's been idle so long he's bit out of shape. Saphira just got a little "long Line" work in the snow as I'm suppose to avoid dust for a month and I guess that's the same thing as the dirt? At least that's what Bill told me. So finished up with the ponies and now it's time to run outside!

First I had to decide what to wear. I've never run outside before and I don't have any of those cool runner's tights (of this the neighbors are pleased about I'm sure!!!) So I settled on cuddle dud bottoms and top. Red sweat pant bottoms with my orange "STATE PRISON" hoodie. NEW WHITE running shoes with orange highlights and one FLUORESCENT orange shoe string (Seeker chewed the original white one off) Little red gloves and a black hat and head band. To top this all off I added a 6' leash with a new orange collar attached to an almost 8 month old Border Collie puppy. Out the door we go!!

I tell Sal, okay, we're heading West and to the Norway Blacktop. (should be a little over 3 miles round trip). If we're not back in 30 minutes then you need to send the "meat wagon" for us. (AKA - jump in the van and come pick us up). Yep, I sure will.....was his response. I was pretty sure he'd come since I had his puppy after all. So Seeker and I take off at a nice brisk walk. I have the leash tied to my waist so I don't have to hold it and he's doing great.

We'd walk/run/walk/run. It was nice being off of the treadmill and actually outside. I'd set some land marks to run to and then do some walking to the next landmark. I tried to take advantage of the "down hill" parts to run on and walk on the up hill sections. (I wasn't born yesterday!!!) Of course it didn't always work out that way and I got to thinking whomever thinks this state is FLAT needs to come run with me some time. So as we're getting closer to our 1/2 point I'm starting to wonder what the heck was I thinking!!!! Then I remember Seeker's new little orange collar that has our cell phone number on it. Isn't that nice. Too bad the cell phone is in my work bag and turned OFF!! I have to laugh at myself some times. Okay....a LOT! But we made it to the stop sign and headed back home. (Still no Sal, so we must be doing okay)

I now have a better appreciation for how Adam feels when we turn around to come home. You have a renewed burst of energy. I guess I'm a little barn sour too! G So we did some "fartlicking" and ran as fast as I could for short distances (they seemed long to me!!) Seeker had to gallop to keep up, so that made me feel pretty good. I was starting to really get thirsty and I hadn't thought to bring any water. I just needed something to remove the dryness in my mouth. Oh what the heck, I grabbed a handful of snow from the ditch, (kind of dusty -but not yellow) and took a bite. I just rinsed a bit and spit.

Needless to say, we made it back and I was so pleased that we must have done it in under 30 minutes. NO WAY!!! WOW!!! Sal is just heading to the van. What time is it, I holler. "I don't know??" is his reply. "Aren't you coming to get us?" "Oh, yes, it must be about 30 minutes"...."ABOUT!! What time is it?" He pops back in and says it's been 37 minutes. Hum....did I not say 30?? BH!!!

Well, 37 minutes isn't too bad since it's a very hilly trek. I'm not totally sure how far it is, I'll have to go and drive it to see. It's a nice run as I don't have to worry about any dogs except the one across the road and there's very little traffic. It was fun and I'm looking forward to being able to get outside more as Spring is just around the corner!!! The next time we run by the Sheep Seeker will probably not jump totally out of his skin! I HOPE! G

Honestly....WHY MUST ONE TRAIN!!!

This morning as I'm doing my "training" on the treadmill I got to thinking about WHY you must train? I mean honestly, does ANYONE find this fun?? ANYONE!!! Speak up NOW! (Obviously I have a LOT of time to be thinking while I'm hoping that 3 tenths of a mile goes by quickly)

I've come to the conclusion that I LOVE TO COMPETE. LOVE IT. It's the training I could do without. Especially when it comes to sweating and sucking wind. I just don't get how people can say they LOVE TO RUN! Now, granted it is rather a good feeling when you finish and you look at your progress and you could only run 5 mph for a short time and now you're doing 6-7 regular short intervals and even a 8pm 3 - tenth today and a 9 - 2 tenth mile as well. But during that time all you can think about is "when can I slow the beast down!!!!" G

The down side is you do all that work and you've only burned HOW MANY CALORIES!!! BH!!

I am honestly hopeful that since I've taken this step I'll never turn back. I've also come to the realization that I will never be a marathon runner. ( I know never say never) but I'm not cut out for that kind of thing. (WAY TO MUCH COMMITMENT) I prefer the short easy stuff so let's just do the 5K maybe 10 K and maybe someday a 10 mile.....but the 26 mile runs I'll leave to the ponies, or better yet a car. Honestly people, you have a perfectly good car....use it! G

Sometimes I think about the enormous amount of energy I'm wasting and I'm not really working that hard. If only we could channel all that energy into electricity. Why have the health clubs NOT thought of this!! How great would it be to have your paying customers also providing you electricity? Like I said....a LOT of time for thinking on the treadmill.

So this morning while I'm doing my 2 - tenth at 9 mph (trust me that's freaking FAST) I got to visualizing my sister and me running our 5K together......we are stride for stride and Sis looks over and says, "How you doing" with a grin I look back and say, "The real question is - How are YOU doing." HA!! I thought it was pretty funny at the time and it got me through that 90 seconds of running. I guess that's what counts.

Are you TOUGH ENOUGH??

I know...you're thinking JL, what now??? G

Do you LOVE those 100 calorie snack packs?? ME TOO!! Somehow, 1 just isn't enough with so many varieties....so after eating 3 I thought I'd better find a way to burn them off.......so.....

I happened upon a fitness table at work today, using a treadmill you are suppose to do the following -
* initial speed - 3.3 mph (a cinch!!)
* zero % grade for 1st minute
* 2% grade for 2nd minute
* Increase of 1% for each subsequent minute until 25 minute (mine only goes to 12%, so I couldn't go any higher after 11 minutes. (no biggie, most women didn't make it much past this...HEAR ME ROAR!!!)
* there after, the speed is increased by .2 mph each minute until test is terminated. (or participant dies....take your pick)
Okay....hear me WHINE!!! Actually I did pretty well....
Mean for women - 11 min 26 seconds.
Mean for Men - 16 min 52 seconds. (I wasn't going to let some freakin man beat me!! G)
My time - 18 minutes flat - that's at 12 % incline and 4.7 mph. I wanted to go further, but my calves were screaming for their momma!!!! I'll have Sissy do it, she'll kick my bum!!

Of course I did have a handicap named Seeker. Seeker seems to think when I'm on the treadmill is the PERFECT time to come over with a tug toy. This works " okay" when I'm warming up as I can reach down - grab an end and hold onto the toy with my right hand and the bar with the left (so he doesn't pull me off). Well, it's doesn't work as well when he brings over this big ball thing with a tail and keeps tossing the ball onto the treadmill so you have to step over or stumble through it as it passes! BH Where did this mutt come from?? Then the toy lands up in front of the treadmill and you have to prepare your self for him to either get it and in doing so, turn the power off or DOG forbid he would end up on the treadmill and some rolling down into you. JL!!! We all survived!!! G

We set THE DATE!!!!

The date has been set for the 5K!!! Saturday May 17 in Marion. I have an official photographer lined up, a photo assistant/journalist, as well as a navigator (No, NOT MARTHA!!! Remember Effingham!!) I'm getting excited, but I need to buckle down because I don't want to disappoint my sister by totally stinking!!

This am I did another all time best (all my "runs" are 40 minutes with 3-5 minute walking at each end) - 3.66 miles, 543 calories, 94.3 carbs. The very BEST part is I "ran" the 3.1 (5K) without stopping!! YIPPEE ME!!! I still honestly, DON'T run....it's more of a lumbering, but at least now I'm pretty sure I'll be able to run it all, which honestly is my goal. NO WALKING!!!!

When it gets nicer (May 1st I suppose???) I'm going to have my navigator show me the routes and walk it with me. My plan is to then go out a couple times and run it to see how fast I think I can do it. (Did I just say that????) I think I need to go up and read my last sentence above!!

If you have nothing else to do that morning, come out and cheer us on! I hear it's free and they have GREAT kettle corn!

Sticky Licky - Scratch it off my "Bucket List"

Do you remember when -
you first stuck your tongue on a frozen metal object?  I do, I'm not sure how old I was?  I was down at my
friend's house and waiting for her at the door to come out and play.  They had a big metal "screen saver" on their
door with the fancy letter "S" on it.  It was the Fashion of the time to have your last name initial on your door,
don't ask me why.

So, I was bored (imagine that!!) and what else is there to do but stick your tongue on something?
I don't really remember much after that (no I didn't pass out!) but I'm not sure how my tongue got back
in my mouth or if it really hurt or for how long.

So in order to understand the WHOLE concept "we" set out to determine what exactly the "big deal' is.
Armed with a camera (my co-conspirator-would was film crew only) and a mug of hot water - not
TRUSTED to my photographer, we set out to do the unthinkable!  G

1/19/08 - Sunny - Actual Temperature = ZERO

Of course "B" had to come along for the show, but Sal chose to stay in the van and shake his head.  I'm
sure there were several eye rolls involved as well.

Our chosen "object" was a street post, however after careful consideration we we're sure if a tongue would
stick to a painted pole.  So we made the decision to use the good old chain link fence post.  I was going to
have to knee of course, but that was probably more comfortable anyway.  So I got into position I noticed,
yellow snow, about 18" from my post.  At least her dogs are short.  Buck up!!  G

So I leaned into the post for Meme to get a couple test shots with "no attachment".  I knew this was going to
work as my nose wanted to stick!  G  So she was ready.  Deep breath and press tongue full bore onto the post.

Hum, it was interesting.  At first I wasn't quite sure if it was sticking.....but as I tested it a couple times...yep stuck.
Meme is clicking away and I hear "B" say, "pull back".  Meme's says, "NO".  But of course I do, slightly.  I
should have pulled back further I guess.  G

I had given my water to "B" as I couldn't find a correct angle to dump it without having to pull back too far.  So
after many grunts of "pour" they finally understood I wanted to be turned loose.  SLOW LEARNERS!  Of
hind sight, I should be glad he poured and all and why didn't I think of saying "apple".  UGH!!!  I hate those
missed opportunities!  (For those of you that DON'T get the "apple" joke, hold your tongue and say it out loud)

I'm happy to report that the tongue came off the fence very easily with the application of hot water.  I didn't
really feel much when it was attached.  Only the feeling that it was definitely STUCK!  Having a way out was
cheating I must admit.  My tongue felt like it was numbed by Novocaine.  Kind of tingly.  It took about 15
minutes to loose that feeling.

It was fun and why would I do it?  Well, because it was There!!!  G

Dog poem - Author Unknown

Connie sent this to me today and it reminds me how some people just can't understand the relationship with our dogs. They don't understand these aren't just "pets" to us, they are a huge part of our lives. (Yes, my dogs all live in the house!!) We spend time training them, (more time than most people spend with their kids and they wonder why the world is like it is??) spend hundreds of dollars on entry fees (and try to forget about that part!!) travel hundreds of miles with them every year (yes, hotels DO take dogs or we don't stay there!) They are not only our companions, they are our TEAM MATES!! (and the mess ups are usually the human's fault!!) Along the way we build friendships with other humans (wow, imagine that!) and their canine companions near and far. Those relationships are amazing! We laugh and cry together. We understand each other. It's a kind of a "canine religion" where we all understand how to use a poop baggie and hold 3 leashes, manage a clicker, treats and throw a dumbbell (well, most of us do anyway). We have wonderful stories to share and most of those stories only our dog friends would understand. So, here's to my dear friends and all our canine companions!!

My dogs live here, they're here to stay.
you don't like pets, be on your way.
they share my home, my food, my space
this is their home, this is their place.

You will find dog hair on the floor,
they will alert you're at the door.
they may request a little pat,
a simple 'no' will settle that.

It gripes me when I hear you say
'just how is it you live this way?
they smell, they shed, they're in the way..'
WHO ASKED YOU? is all I can say..

They love me more than anyone,
my voice is like the rising sun,
they merely have to hear me say
'C'mon , time to go and play'.

Then tails wag and faces grin,
they bounce and hop and make a din.
They never say 'no time for you',
they're always there, to GO and DO.

And if I'm sad? They're by my side
and if I'm mad? they circle wide
and if I laugh, they laugh with me
they understand, they always see.

So once again, I say to you
come visit me, but know this too..

My dogs live here, they're here to stay.
you don't like pets, be on your way.
they share my home, my food, my space
this is their home, this is their place..

Some of my FAVORITE things.....

Boy is January BORING or what!! So I thought I'd share some of my favorite things. With lighten up Iowa starting tomorrow I guess it's important to "lead by example" so I'll try to avoid the following as much as possible. The food items that is!!! G These are not necessarily in any order.

Plain Potato Chips dipped in Ketchup!!! YUMMY!!! Don't knock if if you haven't tried it. I'm eating some RIGHT NOW! Honestly, growing up in my family....you ate EVERYTHING with Ketchup on it....right down to your steak and turkey!! along with those chips....

Hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Made with MILK ONLY, no water please! YUCK!!

Circus Peanuts and a REAL PEPSI!! Bite a peanut and take a swing of Pepsi - a major sugar filled mouth of deliciousness!

Good and Plenty!! I know....it's a Black Licorice thing!

Pumpkin Pie....HOLD THE CRUST!! Real whipped topping from a can! Hey, it's a vegetable!

Strong Black tear the hide off your tongue COFFEE! Some chocolate to go along with it is always a bonus!

SMORES!! Prefer marshmallows lightly toasted vs burnt...but will eat them either way.

Kohlrabi, Rutabaga, cabbage! I know...kind of weird.

Okay, I think I'm done for now.

Went back to the eye dr, looks good. Go back in a week. I'm approved to run again....so look out you top runners of Iowa! I'm coming after you!! ...... Now where did I put those steroids???

Do you like Pain?

I mean honestly, do you like pain? Hopefully, most of you are saying no. If you do, read on and I'll tell you how you too can have pain in the privacy of your own home. You would think having the thin lining of your eyeball removed would be bad enough. Oh sure, the glare is painful at times and your eye waters and sometimes you have to wear sunglasses inside......but let me share with you the worst of it. It's the FREAKING TAPE!!

Yes, an innocent looking roll of tape. This stuff is so sticky it could hold two of those super glue construction guys to that beam with no sweat! UGH!!! I'm suppose to wear this eye shield for one week after surgery. Fine, I can do that. Hello, could you find some other way to attach it!

Now let me be clear, it's not the going on of the tape that's the problem, it's the coming off. Or more correctly, it's desire to want to come off. I swear I've exceeded the safety limit for skin peels. OUCH!!!

Here's another question. Are you a ripper or a slow tugger. Me, I'm a ripper, all the way. Just one fast tug and it's gone! Same with cold water, honestly, what the heck are those people thinking with that tip toeing in crap. Makes me want to get behind them and push already. (rats, off topic)

So tonight I really need to come up with a new plan. I can not put that tape on my face one more time and I'm guessing putting the shield on my other eye won't help much. The only thing I can come up with is vet wrap. I think the only color I have it orange. It will be MUCH cooler looking than the tape and it will come off easier.

I understand the need for the shield, I even woke up last night thinking I was scratching my eye. Obviously the shield hadn't gone anywhere.

Been doing some scrap booking and here's one of Mad I took last September in Jester.

FOCUS ESTER!!!!!

Eye ball surgery today, it was interesting and the paper work took WAY longer than the procedure. JL!! I arrived on time at 8:15 and took a seat in the waiting room. Had a magazine and a book, I found some cool names for our "Lighten UP Iowa Team"...oops, off task already!

So, they call me over and we fill out paperwork and ask if I have my drops. Yep. Well they give me some more drops in my own little "black bag" as well as instructions on when to use them, how often and how much. GOT IT! I'll skip all the BORING details of the way, but I was suppose to go in at 10 and it must have been more like 10:40. The doctor does your last exam, puts a blue dot on the right side of my head (to indicate rt eye only) and then you are given you Valium and taken to the "surgery" room where it's pretty darn cold.

You lay under the laser and they tape you eye lashes to the top of your eye brow and then put in this little thing that keeps your eye open. You don't feel anything as they have put anesthetic drops in your eye balls. They tell you to relax and give you a couple stress squeeze balls. WHY!!! I never did use them. Do they really think I could use squeeze balls and stay focused on a bream of light as the same time? HONESTLY! They have NO idea who they were dealing with.

So, the produce begins and you see what I can only describe as the swirling of light (luckily it was red and orange G) It's like you are watching a hard rock song with the corresponding music pictures on the computer. Someone is indicating the time - 40 second - 30 seconds - 20 seconds - 10 seconds. I'm thinking JL are they going to launch me in space or what! G

Then you see a hand come in and they are swirling something around to (I'm sure removed the burned off cornea)...I would LOVE to see that part, of course that's a little impossible. Then a little more laser work - I think and they are using these drops and flushing your eye. The drops are really cold. Then you're done! Crazy huh!!

T G They taped the shield on (because I needed to take a nap when I got home) and gave me my sunglasses (which I've come close to poking my self in the eye with!

I took my nap and then I needed to use my drops, OMG!!! The tape ripped off 1/2 of my eye brow I swear! OUCH!!!! I think that might be the worst part....taking the tape off.

They tell you to follow the doctor's instructions to the letter, no computer, no extended reading or TV. So I'm doing a pretty good job. LOL Actually, I have my sunglasses on right now and I have a patch over the lens on my right eye and so I can't see out of it.

That eye is very light sensitive so if it's exposed to light it waters like crazy!!!

Is it worth it? We'll see. I had to have PRK vs. Lasik as the thickness of my cornea was very thick at the bottom (might be from long term use of contacts? or just the way my eyes are) So the recover time is longer. They said Saturday will be the day it's most uncomfortable.

It will be nice not needing to pop in contacts in the morning when camping.

Mad Flipping Dog!!!!

We got a new Flip "tiny video recorder" for um....Christmas, um...no, um....New Year's! Um....no...because I'm SPOILED!! Okay, that's probably more accurate. I saw Althea's a few times and at the December trial she graciously gave me another demo. So I thought it would really come in handy at agility trails. It's very portable, easy to use and down loads to your computer. You can also watch it on the tiny one inch screen or plug it into your television. So for now we're just shooting things around the house. This was yesterday right after I got it. I wanted Mad to back up and she just wanted the cookie! She actually thinks this exercise involves, downing, barking and shuffling backwards (I couldn't keep up!!) This is exhibit "A" in regards to clicking at the wrong time. Oh well, I think it's pretty cute anyway!!

Note her new hair cut, bare bum and shorter jacket. Getting ready for those new snow chances!!

Puppy Agility Class

We survived night number one, it was actually quite fun and people had the most difficulty managing a leash, a clicker, a puppy and food.....all with timing. I have every confidence they'll get better or get KILLED trying! No, not by by! G

We have one Aussie (Coz), one GSD, Mamba (I know, who would have thought there'd be another??) a English Setter, Murphy, A rat terrier, Bebop, A BC, Rose, and 4 golden retriever puppies that are very cute! We did some restrained recalls at the end of class to a tug and I was very happy with all the puppies willingness to chase and tug. It could be an interesting 7 weeks.

Just got a call from the eye clinic, they had a morning cancellation, so I'm back on for tomorrow morning vs. the afternoon. Going in at 8:15 and Should be out by 10:30. Talk about paper work!!

HAIL YEAH!!!

After MUCH debate and several knock down drag out FIGHTS!!! NOT!!! We finally (okay, Bill decided) on an official name for the Seeker. Bill didn't really care for most of my ideas....I know, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised about that...but he did finally settle on LytnStrke's Hail Yeah

I suppose that name has the best fit, since Seeker is ready to do ANYTHING, ANYTIME, with ANYONE!! So, you ask...Seek do you want to go play ball? HAIL YEAH! Do you want to go to feed the ponies? HAIL YEAH!! Do you want to go to the vet to get tutored?? HAIL YEAH. I never claimed he was smart. G

I guess I'm doomed to use my Syzygy name on some other poor unsuspecting animal.

Quite Friday ...

Well, this is always good news!! Nothing terribly exciting happening.

Today was a walk day - so 2.56 miles - 267 calories - 37.4 carbs. I think tomorrow will be an "off day" as I may end up going hunting for most of the day.

Looking forward to some melting snow and a "cleaner" van?? Well, at least she'll get a wash from Mother Nature...at least I hope so!

Hail Mary Corner has been plowed!!

Yes, I know - you know your life has come to an all new low when getting a
big drift that has made your travels "iffy" at best has been plowed.
(I think this might just fit into the category of...You Know You're a Red Neck if..)
Apparently our maintainer guy ran out of vacation time? G
I did have to power through HMC this am, but obviously made it to
work!! Of course Carrie now has packed snow inside her wheels which not only makes
it feel like your driving on a corn cob, it also loosens your fillings!
Hopefully that will clear up this weekend following the "great thaw".
That's if you can believe the weathermen of course!

Today's treadmill stats.....A new "best"!!! 3.62 miles - 516 calories and 88 carbs.
Not totally impressive, but since 6 minutes of the 40 are spent
walking...NOT BAD!!! One moment of scariness to report as I almost had
a "fall off"......and I did NOT S...although it would have been
appropriate!

In order to keep Myrtle happy we had our heat up higher than our normal
60 degrees at night temp. So of course while I'm running (at 4:20 am this am)
it's warmer than normal and I'm getting hot in my hoodie. If you ever learn ONE
thing from me "not to do" this might be it! It's best NOT to remove a ss on a
treadmill while running at 7 mph. UGH!!!

Let me try and describe the results. Radio "playing" a slightly out of "focus" song by
one of my favorite bands "Disturbed" 10000 fists, I believe. I make the decision
that the ss needs to GO! Do I just step on the side rail and remove it?
Oh no...that would make too much sense. So while running I cross my arms and
grab the lower part of the ss. As I'm drawing up said ss I start to lose momentum
and balance. On foot hits the side rail,one arm flies to the grip bar, but it's
inside the hoodie. A couple thumps later and somehow I'm back up right and ss is
on the floor. I'm not sure if I "blacked" out but the same song was back on and
I was still running. JL!!

Head off to the OD's off (NO, not Over Dose silly).....eye dr (but not smart enough to do surgery kind. Anyway, for my pre-eye surgery exam. So you know how when they do your eye test they say, (pick one or two) and you're suppose to tell them which is clearer? If you don't answer within a few seconds he flips it back and forth again, 1 or w. Well, apparently I wasn't staying very focused because he said, "5 or 6" and I knew which was was clearer, I just couldn't remember what numbers we were on!! LOL He thought that was pretty funny too. G

It's windy out here! I know BIG surprise!! South Slope has been out trying to fix
the buzz in our phone line. They are pretty nice. One guy, Dave, really likes
Cougar. He said while they were out earlier today he was crawling up his pant
leg and crawling inside his bibs. That cat is SMART!!!

Need to run and help one BC puppy, Seeker. He's trying to figure out how to get
the ball off the bottom of the wobble board. (you know - that piece of plywood that has a ball bolted to the bottom so puppies get use to the movement.

Oh, I honestly hate to report it'sNOT Seeker, it's Mad and Kruz.
How SAD is that!
They were suppose to be the smart ones!!

I FELL OFF THE WAGON!!

Okay, just once.....and I really needed to!! It was bad, it was the "F' word and I don't mean "fart".....more on that later.

First my "running" stats....3.19 miles, 40 minutes (I know...SLOW!!!) 436 calories and 72.6 carbs. I've been battling "shin splints" trying to go too far, too fast with too much incline. So, I took a week off and just did some walking.....now I'm back on track starting with zero incline and more speed. I'll gradually add incline back next week...maybe. G

Today I had plenty of occasions to Swear!!! Let's see, there's "running" on the treadmill and running out of water 1/2 way through. There's noticing the treadmill really does have a little "track" element that I told Dawn "wasn't there". DUH!!! There was the trip to work in which I had to turn around because there was a drift "way too high" for Carrie. Then to find out there's another at the intersection that I have no choice but to back up, (Keep in mind it's dark and I can't tell where the road is as the ditches are full) make a sign of the cross, close my eyes and make a run for it. I made it BTW and had to go through it again on my way home tonight. Our "maintainer" is MIA. Mental note - look for rosary beads for tomorrow.

So I get home and guess what! Myrtle is moaning....AGAIN!! Ugh. Call Bill to ask him to PLEASE pick up some heat tape. We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath. He asked me to go and plug in the space heater under the crawl space (hey, on the bright side at least it wasn't already on! G) He has a 50' cord for a 15' project....so I can't find the end. That's where I slipped and I knew it right when it came out. Hey, 36 hrs isn't too bad and I'm now back on the wagon.

Another than that a pretty uneventful day, dogs are stir crazy from being inside and I'll have to play with Rex for awhile. He needs to learn some tricks!

Have a great evening!

Meet Rex!

Met my new little friend....Rex. He LOVES strawberries and his exercise wheel. How sick is this!!! I can sit here and talk to an orange hamster named "Rex" and laugh....all in the confines of my own home! I'm even getting scared! Spring apparently can NOT come soon enough. Yes, Rex is named after Stephanie Plum's hamster.

January 1st 2008!!

Wow, where did last year go? Do you have your New Year's Resolution yet? I gave up swearing....aka: S from now on. Yes, I talk like a sailor and nothing is more rewarding than firing off a list of 4 letter words (trying not to duplicate in the same sentence is a dying art. G) It's been 9.5 hrs and I have yet to S.

In my case (sense I'm a horrible addict), I am allowing myself to Mind S. Meaning I can say it to myself in my head....but it can't come out my mouth. Insert S word of choice here.

Hey, it's only been 9.5 hrs, what could possibly happen to make you want to S already? Well, at 1:05 Kruz (the Border Collie) needed to go outside. Apparently Bill didn't put him out before he when to bed. UGH....one! So out he goes....GOOD BOY!

At 3:15 I hear that "universal" noise that gets everyone sitting straight up in bed (except Bill of course)....Kruz has the dry heaves. I run him to the door and it wasn't so dry. RATS!

So up in the morning to feed to ponies! Holy cow it's cold and windy! Didn't S!! Sometimes I think of the strangest things (maybe I'm not the only one?) Like, wonder what it would feel like to put my tongue on that gate? I know I did that when I was a kid, but I don't really remember the sensation. Hum, wonder if I should add that to my list of 25 things to do before I die? I'll think about it. Today would be a great day to give that a try.

Back inside, still no coffee - need to run first.

Then I'm going to do my "running"....I use that term very loosely as I am NOT a runner. That would be my sister Dawn. Please don't confuse us. I like to let other animals do the work, ponies in general. They sweat, I ride. Long story short, I told her I'd run a 5 K with her this spring (3.1 tiny little miles). Sorry, got off track, (shiny object)....So I grab the little weather radio off the top of the fridge (I'm getting tired of looking a the wall) Let me discribe it to you. It's black, about 5 inches by 7 inches, dusty (it has been hauled outside and to trials), it's antena is broken off and best of all, it runs on batteries!! So, I set it to my favorite rock station (rock 108) and off I go. Let me tell you, the reception isn't that great and it's pretty hard to adjust at 6 pmh (don't laugh, that's faster than you think!!!) So 40 mintues of "running" later.....I still have the static buzzing in my ear. Yes, I did look for a new radio! In this age of IPods and such I don't know if they even make them anymore! I did a quick search at W (that place that sells all the goods from China) last time I was there.....nope, couldn't find it and was too lazy to ask.

So I'm doing my thing on the treadmill, listening to God Smack through static (Bill would say that's an improvement!) In comes the BC puppy - Seeker with a toy. Gee, big surprise. He's dancing around trying to get my to play with him. I reach down to pet him (I did put on hand on the bar for safety!!) and he jumps up, one of his feet hits the belt and he's tossed down to the end of the treadmill. I laughed, pretty funny. So he comes back (not terribly smart)....with his toy and drops it on the belt so I'll throw it. Well, as you can imagine it shoots to the end of the treadmill. Seeker has now realized he has his own "pitching machine" as it were, so he enjoyed a game of fetch. I guess he's not so dumb after all. I mean honestly, I'm the one on the darn thing burning calories and not getting anywhere. How smart am I??

Today will be a day of relaxation and doing some of my favorite things. This will NOT involve cleaning. I have a crochet project to work on and I'll pop in a couple John Wayne movies for fun. Rio Grande for sure! Love that movie.

Enough blogging for now....boy, what a way to start the year. With a New BLOG!! I just got a "tracker" cell phone in July. A computer in September. I can only imagine what 2008 will bring.

Here's to a safe and fun 2008!!!