We’ve been iced in since late Friday and even the dogs seem ready for us to get out of the house. We’re tapped at the top of our very steep hill which, like everything else, is covered in break-a-hip ice. No loss of power and net access has allowed both of us to work. I plan to rappel down the hill and hitch to work in the morning. This happens every four or five years, providing a horrifying glimpse of what retirement must be like (shudder). No thanks.
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You Don’t Need to Pick Up Dog Feces Any More!
“The Doggie-Poop-Catcher is a palm sized portable poop-catcher with a collapsible frame structure which opens up any plastic grocery bag in a second ( patented ). Then, it catches dog feces before the feces falls onto the ground. How do we do it? We take advantage of the dog’s behavior or their body languages prior to defecation, which is recommended as an exemplary method to clean up after the dog.”
Sorry, no can do. Harvesting the load after the fact is one thing… catching a steaming pile before it hits the ground (even in a plastic bag) is too much for smays.
If bitten by a dog, stand perfectly still
I emailed a story about how to avoid getting bitten by a dog to my blogging vet pal, Dr. T. Everett Mobley, thinking it might be fodder for his blog (it wasn’t). Here is a portion of his reply:
“I have had a few very severe wounds, as well as many minor ones. Fortunately, most dogs in my situation simply want me to go away, so they bite and let go (pretty soon, anyway). The part about not jerking back is absolutely true. However, one’s first experience probably won’t allow you to avoid that reflex. Unfortunately, I am now able to stand still (while yelling at the top of my lungs) until the dog lets go. The crushing is much more painful and damaging than the punctures. Adding a tearing component is certainly undesirable. Afterwards, I sometimes have to lie down before I fall down.”
Lucy and Ripley enjoy the snow
Our two Golden Retrievers love the snow. Lucy, the younger dog, cannot contain her excitement .
Snowed in
It started as sleet and freezing rain and later changed to snow and we woke up to find 12-14 inches on the ground. Ripley and Lucy are frustrated, unable to find their favorite places to take care of business.
I hiked down the hill to take some photos but it is damned cold so I only got about 50 yards. I’ll take another run at it later today. For now, here’s a shot of the deck, road to house, our back yard, another of the back yard, the front of our house and our neighbor’s bench.
Weird-looking dogs
Dr. Everett Mobley blogs at Your Pet’s Best Friend. He started in September and his posts just get more and more interesting and informative.
Now look at your dog. Notice the parts that look wolf-like and the parts that don’t. What kind of a wolf percentage do you have? Chances are that the lower your wolf-score, the more built-in problems your pet has.
You never know who’s going to be a good blogger. By “good” I mean someone who posts frequently and writes in an open and personal voice. I confess that I find it very gratifying to play even a tiny role in helping someone get started blogging. YPBF is a must-read for anyone with a pet.
iMovie vs. Studio 9
5
I created a little video this afternoon, primarily to get some experience with Apple’s iMovie (on the MacBook). I’ve been using Pinnacle’s Studio 9 (Windows) for a few years and like it a lot. And I’m comfortable with it. And I can’t say the same for iMovie (Mac) so this really wasn’t a fair comparison.
Having said all of that, I find that I can do more with Studio 9. There are probably features in iMovie that I haven’t discovered yet. But my sense is that iMovie is great for making a little DVD of the Easter Egg Hunt or some after-work fetch with your pups (below), but if you want to do much more than a title, some transitions and a music bed… you’ll want something a little more feature-rich. Which I find Studio 9 to be.
But like I said, I’m just groping around here. The video runs 14 minutes and the file is a hefty 21 meg. I optimized for very small screen (about the size of the image to the right). If you expand this to full screen it will look like shit. Keep it small for best results.
Deep thoughts on dog shit
We live on a three-acre, mostly wooded, lot. And I challenge you to walk 50 yards without stepping in a pile of Golden Retreiver poop. As he so often does, Dave offers fresh insight on this endless and thankless task. A couple of my favorites:
You shouldn’t use kitchen utensils to pick up canis crap. My neighbor uses a large soup spoon, and I just can’t endorse that. Nothing I would ever put into my mouth will be used to pick up fecal matter, because I’m fairly aloof, and often deep in thought. What if I got confused? The tool you use says a lot about your personality. A scoop indicates a straight-forward person who attacks a job quickly and efficiently. A dustpan-type tool is a sign of creativity, the user approaching the job with a flair for the dramatic. In my case, I use this thing that resembles a piece of earth-moving equipment. It indicates power, control, and a penchant toward genius.
Lucy and Ripley: Christmas Card
The embargo has been lifted on this year’s Golden Retreiver Holiday Card. Barb has mailed to her list but I’ll got right up to New Year’s Eve and still miss some folks. This year’s theme is Mardi Gras. I don’t think this has anything to do with Katrina…Barb just likes the masks.
If you can imagine the patience required to shoot this photograph, you begin to understand how it has been possible for Barb to live with me for 28 years.
If you live on a farm and you wanna keep warm, propane
If you want to heat right, you’ve got to use it at night – propane.
All your troubles are past when you use LP gas – propane.
It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right – propane.
Well, you can heat up the barn and keep the hayloft real warm – propane.
You keep it in a big tank, because, ay, does it stink! – propane.
It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right – propane.
Lyrics by Clyde Bauman