My Lab Jake..

I have a yellow lab mix named Jake.

And don't think I didn't hear all of you Musings followers slapping your foreheads and saying 'Doy'.

Anyways... As I was saying. I have a yellow lab mix named Jake.



Jake and I have been around the block together. He's the love of my life. He has been with me since before Red even came into the picture. He and I have been through it all. Fleas, moving, heartache, joy.. He's been by my side for so many years now. I don't remember life without him.
My lab is quickly aging on me. It breaks my heart everyday to see him get grayer in the face. To amble along instead of walk. He still has a lot of life left in him. But I am seeing the changes more and more these days. And recently, there has been a change in my old man. It's like he isnt here anymore.

When I got him, he was a stray. So we, the vet and I, took a random crack at guessing his age. I think we guessed too low. And I always thought so, but I never wanted to admit it. But now that he's a 'senior' canine, I am being forced to admit that my years with my lab are getting numbered.
I fear that this dog rescue is taking it's toll on him. And the more I think about it and the more I watch him, you can bet your ass that I would give up my rescue, even temporarily, if it would mean I could have my dog back.

I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe he's upset that I brought the Aussie into our home. Maybe he doesn't want all of these dogs coming and going. I mean, that has to be hard on a dog, right? The pack is continually changing, and he's always been at or near the bottom.
When I put everybody else away and Red is gone, it's just Jake and I. And when it's just the two of us, my labby boy shines through. The spunky, playful dog comes back out of his shell. I miss my dog, and I cherish these moments.



His eyes are getting a touch of fog in them. His stride is a little bit hitched. His face is graying...

Stop graying, Jake. I don't like it.


If we go by the age that we aged him at when I got him, he would be about 7 years old now. But sadly, I believe we are off. I think he's at least 8, maybe more. But it doesnt matter to me his age. Or his looks. He will stay with me for the remainder of his life. And if God grants us another 5 years together, I will rejoice. I don't have to prepare myself for anything just yet. My labby boy is here with me tonight, and I will give thanks. And I will continue to give thanks for the rest of my life to be lucky enough to have been owned by a dog like Jake.

Ice, Snow, Sleet, Wind, Fog, Lightening & Thunder

All in one day. No no, all in one hour. Sick, right?
I drove into work today. It was a fine morning. The office was buzzing with concerns over the storm, which seemed to be missing us.
Oh, but we were wrong. So wrong. It was too late by the time I started out, leaving work early and heading home.
I made the mistake of driving through town first. Totally a dumb idea. People still haven't learned to drive in whiteout conditions, even though we have been battling through it for the part 4 months.
Made it to the highway that would take me home. Started with whiteout, moved onto slushy snow, onto sleet and ice, back to snow, back to a mix. My windshield wipers froze. Then my windshield froze. It's not like I could see the road with a cleared window, so it really didnt matter that I couldnt see through it. I had to sing to remind myself to keep breathing. Then all of a sudden my blurry, white snow bubble turned a magnificent shade of purple. Then the roaring thunder followed.
I came to a stretch of road crossing a long bridge, and for a moment it was so beautiful. Maybe it was fear that made it so pretty to me. But then I snapped back out of it with a second snap of lightening.

Winter's back. Again.



Only a few more weeks for you to reign supreme, Ole Man Winter. Then Spring is kicking your butt out of here.

Furious. Enraged.

Over the stupidest thing. But it's true.
I drive into work this morning, minding my own business. My entire drive is on highways/freeways. So when I come to a stretch of road where there are vehicles merging onto the highway, I am a curtious driver and I move myself over.
And what do I get in return for my kindness? A jack ass in the box. Or rather, a jack ass in an ugly black Jeep. And don't think I don't know who you are, pal.
I move on over and let him on. And since he's still going slow, I speed up to pass. And what does he do? He punches the gas and stays right next to me. All the way to the damn on ramp to the freeway. Never before have I let go such a string of obscenities in a single sentence. I was angry. I was furious. I was completely enraged. And 5 minutes later when I finally pulled into my parking spot at work, I was still shaking from my anger. Are people really that bored these days that they feel it necessary to cause potential for an auto accident? I mean really?
But you know what? Thanks for letting me vent, folks. I feel great now. We have more snow coming! Woo! Maybe it will make for a half work day. Maybe. Just maybe.
Then I can take some more photos. And share them with you. And get back to my normal blogging strategies. Yeah. That sounds nice.

I'm an idiot

Yeah, I can be an idiot. And I have been for nearly the entire duration of this particular matter at hand, which extends back for more than half of my life. I am not going to go into it really. It's a really long story. It's an interesting story, but it's long. And maybe I'll get around to telling it eventually. It effects my life pretty strongly, so I really should share it here. But now is not the time.
Last night I spoke to somebody who means very much to me. I have not heard his voice in many years, nor have I seen his face in even more years.
For some very interesting but unknown reasons, whenever we speak I revert back to a very young version of myself. It's weird. I met him when I was like 13yo, which could be why. I learned a lot from him. We worked together, we drove around a lot together, we talked a lot. He is one of the people who got me through my high school years. Eventually we.. 'saw' each other kind of casually. But mostly he was just a good, close friend who I could always count on.
He 'text messaged' me last night. It wasnt random, there was a purpose for his contact. I have not talked to him in so long. I ended up having to call him, as text messaging is just... There was too much to say to text it. I nearly had to swig a beer just to chill out. But I didnt. I nearly hyperventalated everytime I was about to hit the 'talk' button on my cell. But I didnt. And when he answered the phone in that sweet, friendly, familiar voice that I loved so much... I was shocked to learn that I no longer became a stupid, brainless girl.
That was the only part that made me happy though. Mostly I was just sad. Sad because I had squashed his many attempts for real friendship in the past years.
Our conversation, though it only lasted 5 minutes, was pleasant. We'll never be the friends that we could have been. It's too late for that. I'm sad that I pushed such a good person from my life for very stupid, worthless reasons.
I've been an idiot. For that I'm very sorry.

Wow, I'm really hitting hard on the lack of humor these days, right? Gosh... gotta think of something funny to say.

Knock knock...

Family

Brace yourself... There is no quick wit or funny in this blog posting...

I wholey believe in the importance of family and of keeping them close to your heart. There are times when I become very emotional about my own family because I know how truely blessed I am to have people like that in my life. I know people who have wonderful families who don't give thanks for them, and I know others who have no family and are struggling without them. And of course I know people who do give thanks for the people that they are blessed to have in their lives.

I love talking about my family. They are my core and my happiness. I am the person that I am today because of their influences on me. My dad is my everything. Never have I met such a strong man. I am not a really emotional person, but my dad was my rock growing up. I know I often butted heads, but I always looked to him for approval. And lucky me, he gave it. I am lucky that he supports me in everything I choose to do. I'm a daddy's girl, even though I choose to hold the independent, country girl image. My mom died when I was very young. And not a day goes by that I don't wonder who I would be if she were still around. But God gave me new life in my stepmother. If I butted heads with anybody growing up, it was her the most. But what I didn't understand at the time was that this wasn't her first rodeo, and that she'd already successfully raised 2 daughters of her own. My antics were nothing new to her... I think. I hope. She did an amazing job. I love my parents. They enforced the rules. They made us do our homework. grounded us when we pushed the limits. They made us come in at 5:30 every evening to have a family dinner. Which I never appreciated at the time... But I look at these families who don't live that way and I feel myself becoming sad for them. Because now I would love to be able to sit down with my entire family every night and talk about my day, and listen to theirs.

I was blessed with a whole bunch of sisters. I always wanted a brother. But now my beautiful sisters have men who I look to as brothers. My sisters are my best friends. My baby sister is my soul mate. My half sister is my inspiration. My step sisters are my idols. And their half sisters are just cool. Growing up I pretended that I didnt like any of them. But I think fighting comes naturally for sibling girls. Now I can't imagine my life without them.

My grandparents, my aunts and my uncles and my cousins. There are so many of them. I love them all so much. I laugh when I am with them, and I cry when I have to part with them. My best memories of my entire life revolve around my family.

I am also blessed to be marrying a man who has a large family, a family who is as tightly knit as my own. I will have a mother in law who I adore. A father in law who almost always makes me laugh without even trying. A sister who is also my best friend and the brother that I never had. I will always have somebody there for me.

Whew, I got through that whole thing without even welling up. Okay, without crying. Okay, without bawling my eyes out. But I only welled up a few times... I hope you will give thanks for those you have around you. And that's all the emotion you will get from me on a Tuesday.

My Little Green

Some of you know that we do dog rescue. There is rarely a time when we don't have rescue dogs fostering in our home along with the resident animals.
Quite frequently, the dogs that come through are not housetrained. And since Josh won't cave and give me the wood floor I've always wanted (I guess I can't complain, I mean he did cave about the fence) than I have had to be clever in how I clean up unhousebroken dog messes. Which are almost daily until we manage to house train the furry little suckers. I have spent too much money on papertowels, Resolve carpet cleaner, anti-amonia sprays, brushes, etc. just trying to keep our friggen beige carpet in check.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend, Little Green.

Oh what a handsome little devil he is. I recieved a WalMart gift card for Christmas and I have been slow in using it. Probably because God knew that I needed to hold it until I got the brillient idea to spend it on something that I will actually use rather than something that would get dusty sitting on a shelf or dull sitting in the back of a closet... Which is where most of my things end up. Yikes.

But not Little Green here. He will be put to great use. Oh yes he will. I can't wait to break him out of his box tonight!

Roses, Testicles & Winter.. Oh my!

Don't run away... I was only kidding! No, I wasn't kidding. These are the true subjects of today's musings.

I mean that is the name of the blog, right? So I don't have to feel guilty about not having any one fun subject to jabber on about. I can muse about whatever I choose.

Hey that rhymes.

Red got me flowers to Valentine's day. I love yellow roses. Red or pink roses are so cliche anyways. Even though I told him that we weren't getting each other anything for the day.

Red didn't listen.



And thus I am stuck with these beautiful flowers. Not that I'm complaining. It's certainly not a hardship to be given pretty flowers by a handsome, rugged man, is it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Luke has stopped seeing ghosts for the time being. I'm pretty happy about it. Red was away last night and Luke was at the vet's being neutered. I was a little nervous about being alone without my guard dog. But nobody shone spotlights into the door windows (did I mention that happened recently? Twice!) I didn't hear any funky sounds. I never once jumped 10ft into the air after being startled by a noise. Nope, it was quiet (except for the howling wind) and I slept just fine.

And Luke, well... He had his testicles chopped off less than 24 hours ago and this is how he looks this morning.



Just as chipper and Lab happy as he could be. So I can't complain.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ole Man Winter is back. And back with vengence. The 1-3" that we were to have gotten turned into 5-6" and still counting. I am missing the pet expo because the roads are so bad. And it takes some bad roads to keep me from a whole expo centered around my favorite subject in the world: Animals.

Anybody feel like shoveling my sidewalks? Anybody? No takers??

Alright, I understand. I'm off to shovel.

No More Paranormal, Please

Yup.. Still being haunted. Now I'm convinced that something isn't quite right around my house. And I have a dog who will prove it.

This past weekend, I took in 2 new foster dogs. My Bert and Roxi were adopted, and in their places came Luke the Black Lab mix:

And Molly the teeny, tiny Beagle:

Since his arrival, Luke has proven to be quite an intelligent dog. He appears a little menacing and he's just the most powerful dog I've ever met. But he's so sweet and very gentle with those he's bonded with. And his bark is something to be reconned with. But if I follow the pattern, Luke really only barks when you talk to him, or when strangers he doesnt know come into the house.
Luke has been sick since Sunday. Hes got some nasty kennel cough and his barking for conversation has stopped, for now. But no matter how uncomfortable the cough is making him, he has no problem making a scene when somebody he doesnt know walks into the house. He's already protective of me, putting himself between me and whomever he is barking at.

My point? Luke will be watching me. Then all of a sudden, he looks above me, way up to the ceiling, and barks. He will stand up, fidgity, barking. I think he's confused or uncomfortable because he doesnt know how to put himself between me and whatever is looming above me.
Think I'm crazy yet? Saturday evening Red and I and the dogs were all settled down in the living room to watch a movie. When all of a sudden Luke's bowling ball of a head jerks up, and hes staring at corner of the ceiling and the wall. He stands up, his heckles come up, and he backs up, barking. His eyes never leaving the corner.
Red and I look at each other... Then Lukes eyes move across the wall, his head turning, and he continues to bark. Then he stops, paces for a bit, glancing back at the wall, and lays down.
Is my foster dog mental? I think not. Luke doesnt bark at nothing. And now I'm not the only one who has seen Luke confronting this ghost he is seeing.

Last night while letting dogs out, I went out alone with Luker to just get some air. After a few minutes, I heard 2 snaps on the west side of the house. It sounded like sticks breaking when people walk over them. Keep in mind, there is no longer a structure there. No neighbors on either side. It didnt bother Luke, so I ignored it. Then a few minutes later, the same sound was on the east side of the house. This time, Luke stood off in that direction, his body tensing up and his heckles rising. He let out a low growl and I look over to see a black shadow disappearing behind the shops. That was it for me. I think I said "shit' and then I gathered up Luke's leash and dragged him inside.

I dont know why all of a sudden I am being hit with creepy beasts in the night. But I'm getting a little tired of being afraid of the dark.

Overactive Imagination? Or something more?

Maybe it's all of the hubbub of being Friday the 13th. Or maybe it's the fact that it's one of two Friday the 13ths in a row. Or maybe it's because I started drinking this herbal tea and it's giving me crazy dreams. Or, maybe I am just watching way too much MonsterQuest. Or maybe I'm just going crazy.

I started drinking this new tea that I bought at a new local store on Wednesday. Also had some Thursday. Wednesday night and Thursday night, I was awakened in the middle of the night to horrific, evil, dangerous dreams that left me awake in the dark with my heart and my mind racing. Then I layed there for the next two hours thinking I keep hearing noises. Even when daylight returns and life resumes, I am looking over my shoulder for the brindle hyeina on steriods and the big black dog with square, white eyes that have been haunting my dreams and attacking in front of my eyes.

But enough about my dreams. Let's talk about real life.
I think this is going to turn into one of those things like that Jim Carrey movie, '23', where the number drives him nuts and turns up in everything.
I was driving harmlessly to work this morning. It's a typical Friday morning, I'm relieved that it's the end of the work week. I drive on a 55mph road for about a half hour every morning to get to work. About halfway there, I see everybody ahead of me slowing down. Then I see why. There is a black lab with no collar running along the side of the highway. There were too many cars around for me to stop, so I drove on until I came to a spot where I could turn around. My friend Cj and myself run the Black Dog Rescue here in Minnesota, so naturally, I wanted to see if I could help.
Well, this Friday the 13th, the black dog mysteriously disappears. So I turn around again and head on to work. Then I hit a squirrel. A squirrel that would not have been running across the road right in front of my truck if I hadn't turned around to help the disappearing black dog.
And then, as I listen to the radio, they are doing their run down of Friday the 13th history. Did you know that if you have 13 letters in your first and last name combined that you have the luck of the devil? So I counted. 1, 2, 3... 13.

Awesome.

Then I think back, remembering the different ways that this number has touched my life. My volleyball number was and is still 13. The horse that I so dearly loved and rode for nearly half my live's name consists of 13 letters. It goes on and on.

This day better go fast and end well. Else I'm gonna be pissed.

Weather? No.

We have a saying here in the great state of Minnesota~ "If you don't like the weather here, wait 5 minutes" There is truth to it, too. The weather here is unpredictable and it changes on it's own whim.
Take today for instance. It's early February in Minnesota. We are less than 2 months into 3-4 months of brutal winter. The temps rarely rise above freezing... Or zero for that matter. Add wind to the usual mix and your windchills dip into the negative thirties and forties. Most of us hardly flinch at it, and all of us tolerate it.
But today... Today is one of those unpredictable Minnesota days. Its 40 degrees. The snow is nearly gone. Its raining, for cripes sake. The wind is blowing with unusual force for winter.
What is shocking about the whole thing is that none of us are actually shocked. It's just another crazy Minnesota day.
Saturday afternoon the sun shone brightly and the temps reached nearly 45 degrees. I took my dogs hiking in a sweatshirt and jeans. Its early February in Minnesota, and I went hiking in a sweatshirt and jeans.
Don't like the weather here in Minnesota? Wait 5 minutes.

And The Winner IS...

TrainWreck!

Her clever comments could have been coming right out of Jake's big toothed mouth.

"What! I do all that I am told, sit , stay, don't beg, beg, leave the cat alone, outside , inside lay down, sit up...whew all day every day! And all I get is this lousy last year looking garland halo? I deserve wings I tell you! I am going to chew something to shreds!"

What are you saying about my garland, TrainWreck?? You got a problem with my lousy last year looking garland????? Just kidding. It its pretty last year, isnt it. Dang.

Congrats!! Email me at Pelodadegoma@yahoo.com to claim your prize!!!!

CONTEST!

Woohoo! Havent had one of these in a while, have we?

This one is going to be a name-that-photo contest. It will end this Sunday evening (2/8) at 9pm CST.

Winner will recieve their choice of one of the following:
A) $20 gift card to WalMart
B) $20 gift card to Starbucks
C) $20 gift card to Kwik Trip

The winner will be chosen based on the best depiction of the following photo. Leave your answer in the comments section of this post.

NAME THAT PHOTO!

Ahhh... Hmmm...

Its just been one of those weeks, folks. I hope you didn't come here anticipating a brillient new blog posting because I gotta be honest, it just ain't happening today. Maybe tonight I'll think of something. Friday nights can make for inspiring blog posts.
Tell you what. I'll pick up my camera after my meeting tonight and I'll take some pictures of things. And then I'll post them here. Or better yet, maybe we should have a contest!
What do ya'll think about that?
Alright. Its on. Contest will be posted tonight. So keep your puters fired up!

Nothing Much

I have been a little stumped as to what to write about the last few days. I haven't touched my camera in over a week. So I have nothing to share with you, as usually what I write about is based on photos that I have taken.
So maybe I'll just ramble today? Is that okay with you? No? Tough, its my blog and I can write about anything I want to. That's the glory of having your own blog.

I'm pumped that my fighter won on Saturday. Okay, he's not my fighter. But he should be. (heart pitter pattering) Georges St. Pierre won Saturday's fight against BJ Penn by TKO. After trash talking GSP for the past 3 weeks on Primetime about being a quitter, Penn himself quit the fight after round 4.

It's cold here again. I'm not happy. Neither are my dogs. The weekend was gorgeous. It was sunny and wind free and warm, in the high 30's. It was sweatshirt weather. And half of the snow melted away. But it was mean. It was a teaser for whats to come... 2 months from now! Stupid groundhog and his stupid shadow. 6 more weeks of this? Can anybody say cabin fever?

Those of you who have not heard the news (which would be surprising, since I have been shouting it from my rooftop for over a week now) Red has agreed to let me have a fence. I know, doesn't seem like a big deal, right? You're wrong. It's a very big deal. Everybody dreams of what their home will be like when they are young. I have many visions for future homes. I hope that the next place we live will be in the country and that we just wont move again after that. But for now, I adore our little house. I love the gigantic yard. There are 3 things that I have always dreamed of having for my home that we just don't have.
1) A center island. Like a kitchen island. Not a big one, a little one. Our kitchen is big enough. I want an island. Red doesnt. Fine.
2) A weeping willow tree. I love willow trees, and I always dreamed of having one. Red hates them. Fine.
3) A fence. It was just a fact in my mind that when we bought a house that we would have a fence. I had 1 of my 2 dogs at the time, and a dog should have a yard to play in without being hindered by long lines and leashes and cables. We've lived there for 2.5 years now. And still no fence. Bringing up the matter of the fence would only upset Red. He didnt want a fence. Not fine!

Well, folks... I'm getting a fence. Proving only that NAGGING WORKS.
And not an ugly chain link fence that I would have settled for. Not a short black iron fence. Not an electric fence. We are installing a 6ft, stained wooden privacy fence around the perimeter of our large backyard. Its better than pure gold in my book.
I did make the mistake of telling Red that he could probably get anything he wanted out of me only by referencing the fence. Whoops. But I guess that makes up for bugging him about fences for the past 2.5 years.

I have begun spring cleaning a bit early. Every weekend, I choose one little area that has been bugging me. And I clean it. I empty away everything, scrub it down, throw away most of what was there, and voila! Freecycle anybody? You wouldnt believe how much crap I have gotten rid of by posting it on freecycle. One womans trash is another womans treasure. Most recently, I got rid of my Betta fish setup thats been sitting on a shelf for the past 2 years. God rest your souls, Bob & Sam. But I never again want another fish. Rather than tossing it as I'd planned, I put it on freecycle on a hunch and a lady took it the next day.

I'm done talking now. I have work to do.