Road Trip preparations

Long road trip? No problem!!

A while ago I waxed-on about the joys of BOT on my iPod... a recent discovery of old radio shows ensures I'll have fun-filled road trips the next two weekends. The Shadow, War of the Worlds, Dr. Who, Dracula, Huck Finn, Abbott & Costello... and a grab-bag of one-time programs - should be fun!

Last weekend I listened to a Bob Hope broadcast on Lux Radio Theater... I'm sorry to say Bob never appealed to me, just not my generation of humor I suppose. But after spending an hour with his 1945 "I Never Left Home" show it's possible I'm a convert. The straight-men get most of the laughs, and usually at Bob's expense. No profanity, mostly politically correct (given the times, sexism and racism wouldn't have been a surprise), and sometimes truly clever. Parts of it are downright moving - unapologetic observations of hospital wards in WWII - without sentimentality. Must find more like this and keep revising my opinions.

The van has had a tune up and freshly rotated tires, the coursing box and first aid kit are loaded, I need a sleeping bag for me and food for the dogs, then we'll hit the road first thing in the morning.

Stay tuned for results!

And the winner is:

Anthony has selected his home for the next four years; may it be the best experience possible.

Now I have to figure out how to get along without my perfectly trained sous chef.

It's the little things

My great Aunt Lily used to say: nothing's ever lost just misplaced. She was a Texas Lady, not much messing about, plenty tough, and always polite. She smiled when she shared an insult, told stories about seeing JFK moments before his assassination, surviving the Great Depression, being an childless professional woman, a widow - she was a pioneer. She made the greatest baked macaroni with cheese I'll ever taste (the secret was aged extra-sharp cheddar).

Not too sure why I'm thinking of this morning, other than I found my sunglasses. My very favorite $7 sunglasses that I bought at a gas station three years ago. They turned up this weekend in a box I hadn't used in a while. I sure didn't want to go and buy new ones, so I'm glad they "re-placed" before I replaced them.

Then I found a hole in my work gloves. About four years ago I splurged and bought deer-skin work gloves; they've held up great and protected my hands from all manner of potential nasties working around various ranches, but it is time for a new pair. The only ones at the feed store that fit (XS) were goat skin... soft, supple, zero break-in required, and under $10 - wow. I hope they prove as durable as my last pair.

The feed store also had a metal bucket with lid, under $20. They make cleaning up the dog yards a breeze. The big-box stores in town don't carry them any more, and I was happy to shop locally.

Guess three good finds makes it a hat trick. Little things that do a lot to make a day's chores more pleasant are always welcome.

Stop the presses!

If you haven't seen this yet, have a look:



THIS is why our mothers always told us not to judge a book by its cover. Damn, girl. Go all the way, I'm rooting for you.

My father is an orchestra conductor; it's fair to say, I'm a snob when it comes to music. Especially singers. Especially sopranos - even lyric and mezzo. (If it were up to me, the number of tenors allowed to "sing" in public would be reduced by 90%.) This woman is not an operatic talent, Ms. Boyle is a genuine talent just the same.

Do you suppose an American audience would have responded in the same way? I'd like to think we're less shallow than I suspect we are...

Damned if you do...

...and damned if you don't.

While purebred dog fans cautiously cheer the Obama's choice of a Portuguese Water Dog - will this be another breed ripe for exploitation by puppy mills? or spawn appreciation for the responsible breeders involved with these charming and versitile dogs? , the anti-faction has already started blogging about the "betrayal" on a campaign promise to adopt a shelter dog.

Spare me the outrage.

The Obama family has specific needs, rather unique requirements, if you think about it, and the family's choice should be a private, family matter. Kudos to Sen. Ted Kennedy for "presenting" the puppy to the First Family... though I have a suspicion that this is a cover story to spare the breeder what Joe Biden's choice stirred up. Three cheers for VP Biden for going to a responsible breeder, and shame on the "human beings" making death threats for his choice.

Enjoy Bo the puppy, kids, he will be a rowdy adolescent in no time.

Why Bother?

Feeling out of sorts today; I'm blaming the weather.

Seems to be no point to cleaning house, as it just gets dirty again.

Or the kitchen, dirty dishes pile up several times a day.

Or doing laundry, as it has to be folded and put away and sometimes that's too much of a bother.

Or clearing off all the horizontal surfaces, as they (1) just get cluttered again in no time, and (2) I can't find anything after things are cleared up anyway.

Or any of a zillion other chores that are boring and have no individual long-term effect.

Blah.

Uncommon sense

Sometimes I read something surprisingly good.

Today there were two surprisingly good reads, so I share them with you.

One, an article in defense of breeders. I found it on a site that is full of thought-provoking and interesting bits.

Two, an article on puppy mills. Old news to many of us, but I was pleased to see such a well put-together piece in a popular magazine. Would that there had been more information for JQP on finding a good puppy or adult dog from an ethical breeder!

Guess I'll keep reading, there's some good stuff out there after all.

Here's yer sign...

When you wear your "good" shoes to muck stalls, it's time for new shoes.

And yes, I think Bill Engvall is hysterical.

Define "safe"

What exactly, is "safe" enough? Is it even possible?

Following a recent local agility trial, the usual complaints started to surface. The surface was either too hard, too soft, too deep, too slick or too something for many handlers. The groomed dirt arena was blamed for dogs knocking bars, missing contacts, running wide, and for handlers slipping or falling. To hear the list of ills, you'd think every run would have been a blue ribbon if not for the surface. Allusions to the risk of injury were made. To hear the list of complaints, you'd think every agility surface should be a perfectly level, perfectly traction-ed, and perfectly safe. As if there were such a thing!

I've seen agility courses set up and run - successfully - on rolling terrain. On soccer fields. In rodeo and dressage arenas. On hardpan and on sand. On school playgrounds and public parks and dirt lots and desert meadows. In the rain, in morning dew, in a dusting of snow. In blasting winds and glaring sun. After dark with street lighting. And inside on artificial turf, carpet, and rubber mats. With no air, or swamp coolers, or refrigerated air (that's air conditioning to those that don't live in the desert). There are lots of other settings I haven't seen yet. Most are safe, most of the time. But injuries can and do happen anywhere.

I think that the truth is that if you TRAIN on a variety of surfaces, you and your dog are physically and mentally prepared to run - successfully - on anything that comes up. So if you aren't successful on a particular type of surface, you have two choices. Either TRAIN like you want to compete, or SHUT UP. Complaining will not solve your problem, so either get to work or... stay home.

I didn't always feel this way, no siree. The last three years of coursing have really opened my mind to the idea of what a good performance dog can handle. Dogs that weigh over 80# going roughly 30 MPH in all kinds of weather on all types of surfaces - grass, pouring rain, wide open desert, rolling meadow, snow, wind, beating sun - day after day, for long minutes that no agility run could ever compare to for speed, distance, difficulty or duration. Cacti, cockleburs, goat heads, devils claw, arroyos, barbed wire fences, unmarked roads, cattle, rattlesnakes, pronghorn, coyotes... and yet people want to whine about a soft spot in the dirt? If you and your dog can't handle a groomed surface... well I got nuthin' to say, that leaves me speechless.

Sure, hazards are real and some are best avoided. At least, minimized wherever possible. Certainly, preparation, training, and luck are huge factors. But staying home is no guarantee of safety: I know at least a dozen people that have had dogs killed or severly injured in freak accidents in their own yards. Just yesterday my neighbor had a perfectly healthy 7 year old dog drop dead in front of her eyes for no reason whatsoever, inside her house. (Necropsy results pending, we suspect anyurism.)

In the end, there's no such thing as "safe", there's just LIFE. I, for one, will be out there living it with my dogs.