Project365: Photos 148-154

I probably shouldn't admit this about myself, but I get odd satisfaction from little things... like when I'm stuffing envelopes at work, and I run out of letters, envelopes, and flyer inserts at the same time.  Or like last month, when the photo number and the date on the calendar ended with the same number all month long.  For example, photo #148 is from the 28th.  Sadly, we lose that trend for the month of June, and I shall miss it.  :(  :P

Day 148: Raindrops
I wish I had a better lens for shots like this.
5/28/11

Day 149: New rug!
They match my new curtains.  Matching things make me happy.  :)
5/29/11

Day 150: One of my favorite places to shop!
5/30/11

Day 151: Lucky shot!
Even with my sub-par lens, it will occasionally surprise me.
5/31/11

Day 152: Paws & Crossbones
Quincy's new "necklace."
6/1/11

Day 153: Quincy again!?
Yeah, I almost forgot to take a pic this day...
6/2/11

Day 154: Lazy
Since I took 2 pics of Quincy this week, I felt like I needed to have at
least one of Milo.  He would have rather I just let him sleep.  :P
6/3/11

Friday Five

1 - My husband left me again on Monday.  :( 
(Business trip, in case you missed my explanation last week.)

2 - We had some gorgeous weather this week, so I took my dogs for a walk one evening after work.  This was my first time going solo with both of them, and they behaved pretty well.  :)  I took my camera along so that I could snap some pics of the trees that are beginning to bloom, so I definitely had my hands full!

3 - Lately I have not been as careful about watching what I'm eating, and the 15 pounds I've gained over the past few months is evidence of that.   I'm not happy about the weight gain or the fact that some of my clothes no longer fit, so I'm back on the moderation wagon this week. 

4 - I got my hair chopped off yesterday.  I'd been contemplating doing an asymmetrical cut for a while, and finally got brave enough to try it!  I like it, but having it longer on one side is definitely going to take some getting used to...

5 - My husband is coming home again today. :)

My Favourite Things: Monday

For today's category I am supposed to blog about my favorite four-legged animal.  After much thought and deliberation, I have determined that it is not possible for me to select just one animal.  I have lots of favorites, several of which live in my house, and I love them all the same!  (Except for Casper.  But I do think I'm finally starting to like him a little.  Maybe.)  Although I can't select a favorite animal specifically, I can select a specific type of animal.

From the time I was a little girl, my favorite animals have always been cats.  I loved other animals too, including dogs, horses, goats, rabbits...  I grew up on a little hobby farm, so we had many pets over the years.  But as any cat-lover knows, there are few things better than a cat curled up in your lap, purring contentedly. 

My love for cats has always been so strong, I didn't expect that to ever change.  Especially since I had the privilege of owning and loving the world's most perfect cat for 16 years.  Which is why it's surprising that this post is not about cats. 

When Scott & I got married, I knew we would eventually get a dog.  Even though neither of us were "dog-people," we wanted to get one for the family we were planning to have (ah, the best laid plans...), and what better family dog than a Golden Retriever?  (This point is not up for discussion, by the way!)

There were two dogs that left a lifelong impression on my heart when I was growing up.  One was a mutt named Shadow, and the other was a Golden Retriever named Lad.  ♥  As much as I loved those two dogs, that love was nothing compared to how much I love the dogs I've owned as an adult.  It started 6 years ago when we got Quincy, and now I have to say that dogs are my favorite animal.  I never, EVER dreamed that I would be converted! 

Of course, I'm more than a little partial to my Quincy...

and to my Milo...

...but I can also say that I love most dogs (there are a few exceptions, like my neighbors' yippy Schnauzer). 

There's just something about that unconditional love.  The ever-excited, always-happy-to-see-you dance.  The incredible look of sadness when they know they've disappointed you.  The sensitivity to your mood changes.  The strong desire to do whatever it takes to make you happy.  You just don't get all of that with a cat.  (Sorry, Squeaky!)  Or any other animal, for that matter. 

Now that I'm converted, I'm amazed that it took so many years for me to discover why dogs are called Man's Best Friend.  But now I know.  And I'm changed forever.  ♥

Friday Five

1. We went for a walk with the dogs on Sunday.  Well, Scott walked.  I rode my new-to-me bike.  At one point I decided to try riding with Quincy jogging beside me.  It worked really well at first, and he seemed to be enjoying himself (I swear he was smiling!).  But then I turned onto a street and started going faster as I coasted downhill.  Before I knew what was happening, Quincy had crossed behind me, and I found myself desperately trying not to crash into someone's yard or hang my dog.  After that, I handed off the leash to Scott and decided that this item is probably worth its price tag. 

2. Scott did the grocery shopping again this week and did a great job.  I see no reason for me to ever do this task again.  Okay with you, honey?  :o)

3. Instead of grocery shopping, I did some major cleaning to get ready for our company who would be arriving on Wednesday.  I also clipped Casper's nails.  Which task do you think was easier?

4.  Our guests this week were "HP Mom & Dad," who were headed home to NV after being in Ft. Leonard Wood for several months.  We met up with some HP girls for dinner and we all had a fabulous time getting to know them!  For those of you non-HP-ers, HP Mom (Betty) is the mother of Jennifer Saake, who is the co-founder of Hannah's Prayer Ministries, and the author of the book Hannah's Hope.  Ralph is a chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol (Air Force Auxiliary).  He and Betty have been missionaries to the military for 35 years.

Ralph, Betty, and me

Four HP Ladies:  Me, Betty, Leesha, and Kelly

5.  I love Minsky's pizza, especially their Cheeseburger Gourmet.  This week I tried a slice of the Prime Cut for the first time and was really impressed.  I may never eat it again since the ingredients are meat, meat, meat, meat, and more meat, so I am hoping the taste will linger in my memory forever!

Mmmmm!  Prime Cut!

No Favourite Things Today

Well, my friend Thelma decided to change the "rules" on her weekly blogging of "My Favourite Things: Monday" (it will now be a bi-weekly feature), so today I am left without her guidance.  After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I have regained my composure and shall blog instead about my weekend. 

As I mentioned last week, Scott & I decided to visit Louisburg Cider Mill to take in the festivities of Ciderfest on Saturday.  Truth be known, we were going for two reasons:  1 - the corn maze, and 2 - kettle corn.  You can buy Louisburg cider in any of our local grocery stores, so that's never been motivation for us to drive out there.  But when I saw that the kettle corn guy from Santa-Cali-Gon (another festival, for you non-locals) was going to be there, I was sold!

So, we loaded up the dogs on Saturday afternoon and headed south.  Our dogs don't get out much, so although they are very well behaved at home, being out in public is another matter.  I know if we took them out more often they would improve, but it's honestly not worth the effort.  Why?  Because our 75-pound Golden Retriever has decided that he can't jump up into the back of our Jeep.  So, Scott has to lift him.  And since our 50-pound dog has short, squatty legs, there's no possible way he could make that jump if he tried.  So, Scott has to lift him, too.  (Esther doesn't lift, in case you were wondering!)

Anyway, back to Saturday...  While we were waiting in line for our tickets to the corn maze, an older  gentleman with a basset hound approached us.  He immediately identified our little mutt-dog as a basset mix, and we chatted with him briefly while we watched our dogs interact.  I wish I had thought to snap a picture of the basset and the basset "fraud" (as Scott likes to call him), because it was SO cool to see them together!  But, it was all I could do to keep a VERY excited Milo under control, and Scott was having the same battle with Quincy.

At the beginning of the maze.

Going through the corn maze was definitely a fun experience, and we'd both enjoy doing it again.  And believe it or not, the dogs really enjoyed it, too.  Granted, they'd have enjoyed us walking through any random field without a maze plowed through it, but that wouldn't be any fun for us, now would it?  ;o)  We did make it through most of the maze, but I guarantee we didn't go the way the designer planned.  And somehow we ended up coming back out the entrance instead of the exit...  Which may or may not have had something to do with the "shortcuts" we may or may not have taken along the way...

Fortunately, once we made our way through the maze, the dogs were pretty tired and slightly under control.  So, we braved the crowds and went into the exhibit area for our kettle corn, gave the dogs a nice drink of water back at the Jeep, and then loaded up to head home. On our way home we stopped at a different cider mill for donuts and much-better-cider, but don't tell the folks at Louisburg.  ;o)

Scott with some very tired dogs near the end of the maze.

A little teaser of things to come...  Yesterday I finally started a little project I've been thinking about tackling all summer:  Pickled Green Tomatoes.  It's a very long and involved 3-day process, so I've been taking pictures along the way so I can blog about it when I'm done.  Assuming they're edible.  If they're not, perhaps I'll just call it the Pickled Green Tomatoes Experiment.  Stay tuned!

The (somewhat) Great (canned) Pumpkin (hunt)

As you may recall, last year there was a shortage of canned pumpkin due to damaged crops.  I don't do a lot of baking, but even I was on the lookout for the elusive cans every time I went to the store last fall, as I wanted to make sure we would have pumpkin pie come Thanksgiving.  Because after all, what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?? 

Well, apparently the crops did not fare well this year, either.  When I heard that my friend on the east coast hasn't been able find canned pumpkin in any of her stores, I thought I'd better stock up now.  When we were at Wal-mart this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a few cans left on the shelf.   We bought 4 and left the rest for others who might be on the hunt (no reason to get greedy!).  I'm not sure if this year's shortage hasn't reached the Midwest yet, or if we just got lucky.  Regardless, this post is to torture my friend Rachel (check out her awesome post on baking a fresh pumpkin, in case you can't find any cans where you live).  :D  This picture is for you, Rachel:

Anyway, back to my shopping trip...  A funny thing happened as soon as I placed the cans in our cart.  Someone (not me) started craving pie.  So, we bought the rest of the necessary ingredients and last night, for the second time in my life, I baked a pumpkin pie.  We still have 3 cans left for Thanksgiving, so I think we'll be okay.  Unless another craving hits our household before then.

It's amazing to me how easy it is to bake a pumpkin pie - especially if you're using refrigerated pie crust!  Yes, I know.  I cheat.  But it's not like I haven't tried making my own crust!  Every time I do, without fail, it flops.  So I'll take all the help I can get.  I just followed the recipe on the can, and it turned out fabulous.  Close-up of the end result:

Funny little side story...  A couple years ago when our cat Luna was trying to starve herself to death (a story for another post), we were trying everything to entice her to eat and had heard that cats like pumpkin puree.  Although she wouldn't touch the stuff, it was quickly evident that our pumpkin-colored dog LOVES it!  As soon as I cracked open the can, my typically non-begging dog was almost immediately at my feet.  I was so surprised by this behavior, I offered to let him lick some off the spatula - something he typically won't do - and he devoured every last remnant of orange goodness!  He was outside last night when I was baking, but tonight when I cut into the pie he perked up immediately.  Sorry, Quincy.  No people-food for you!

Yep, it tastes as good as it looks!

-E

3 years

How is it that I could love this cat so much....

...but this one drives me crazy?

They look a lot alike, huh?  Trust me, they're like night and day.  I am trying to like Casper.  I really am.  He's beautiful.  I can't deny that.  And he really can be sweet.  He's more cuddly than our other two.  I often wonder if we weren't being fair when we got Casper.  Even though we knew he would never BE Squeaky, we still thought he would be a little bit like him from the description the rescue listed online.  But he's not.  He's Casper.  And that should be okay.  But he's a touch insane.  Just ask Scott.  We keep waiting for him to mellow out and grow on us...  Not sure when/if that's going to happen, since it's been over 2 years...

Squeaky was perfect.  He was the world's best cat.  I know other cat lovers will say that this isn't true because THEY have or had the world's best cat.  I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.  With the understanding that I am right.  ;o) 

I lost my sweet Squeaky 3 years ago today.  You'd think that would be enough time to "get over" his death, but I'm not sure I'll ever get to that point.  He was part of my life for 16 years, and I loved him more than I've ever loved any animal.  When he died, he took a piece of my heart with him.  I know that sounds cliche and corny, but I don't know how else to describe the ache I feel when I look at his picture.  Yes, I know.  Most people would say he was "just a cat," but those people didn't know him.  He was far from ordinary.  We grew up together.  He was my buddy.  My friend.  And I will never forget him. 

I miss you, Skeeks.  ♥

If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.

Photo Friday

I've been a cat lover for as long as I can remember.  I've always liked dogs, but didn't become a true fan until I owned my first dog as an adult.  The dog who converted me was Quincy, our pretty-much-perfect Golden Retriever.  Scott grew up around cats, but never cared much for dogs.  One look at Quincy and you'd assume that he won Scott's heart right away, but not so!  It took about a year and a half.  Fortunately, they're now the best of friends.  

Shortly after we got our second dog, Milo, we found out he had joint issues and would need some extra TLC.  I won't even tell you how much that has cost us.  And continues to cost us.  Suffice it to say he's worth it.  So far.  :o)

Anyway, one of the first pricey TLC items we bought for Milo was a dog bed.  Not just an ordinary dog bed, though.  An expensive one with memory foam support for his aching joints.  (Yes, memory foam.)  After we got it home, we realized we would have to go back for another one, because Quincy made it clear that he wanted one, too. 

We've had the beds for a while, but recently I decided to give them each an old throw pillow.  I figured they'd tear them up and that would be the end of it, but no...  they use them!  Which makes me smile.  :o)  And since I'm all about sharing, I wanted to give you the opportunity to smile, too.  So, here you go: 

Isn't he beautiful??

Milo apparently needs a bigger bed!

While we're on an animal theme...  Scott asked me to pick up some cheap, off-brand cat litter when I was at the store the other day and the name just made me laugh.

 Funny, right?  It's also kinda amusing to me that we buy only the best for our dogs, but the cheap stuff for our cats.  Not that they care what kind of litter they use.  We do buy them quality food, lest you think we're not spoiling all of our pets equally.  Glad we settled THAT.  ;o)