More bounty from the garden

Harvested my first Roma tomato and basil for a caprese salad for
supper.

I spend too much money on my dogs

Even on the ones made out of stone.

Introducing Rocky and the planter I had built just for him.

Garden refreshment!

Blackberry Mojito! I made Mint Syrup from the mint plant outside my kitchen door and picked blackberries from the backyard. If I could just grow limes and sugar cane . . .

Today is not the day

We thought that today would have been the day that Scout whelped, 63 days after what we thought was the day she ovulated.

Instead, she is giving me sad eyes because she has finished her breakfast and wants to go chase squirrels and I am not cooperating by going to open the backdoor for her.

Breakfast snack

First blackberry harvest this morning.

My Day with Twitter: Watching a gawd-awful mall pet store go down on modern media

This morning I caught a thread of tweets from a go-getter reporter for the local NBC affiliate.  I started following @calliestarnes during the coverage of a local trial of a school teacher accused (and acquitted) of 22 counts of child molestation.  Callie sat through 22 days of testimony and tweeted all through it. Since then I get quite a kick out her daily tweets - she has mastered integrating social media into investigative reporting.

But, as usual, I digress.  A little background on the following - McKamey is our local animal shelter.  They raided a pet store in a local mall this morning - here are Callie's tweets:

McKamey busy again today. Field crews are raiding pet store in Hamilton Place Mall, removing all pets. I've been on the scene since 8 am.

Security doesn't want media here. Sent a mall cop to tell me I'm not allowed to video in area without consent. My calls not returned.

Mall cop & CPD officer made me leave. Told me I can park on interstate. They really don't want public to see what's happening in pet store.

View from interstate ramp-staying put http://twitpic.com/1x0fau

Have you worked at the Pet Company at Hamilton Place or purchased an animal from there? If so, email me at cstarnes@wrcbtv.com

Finally got call from Ham. Place spokesperson. Says I am being made to park on interstate for "safety of shoppers". What about my safety?

Ham. Place says they never received complaints about Pet Company. I directed them to petition online w/4,000+ names asking them to close it.

Just met and interviewed a follower that was inside the mall. Says Pet Company is swarming with investigators taking pictures.

Pets unloaded at McKamey http://twitpic.com/1x16h5

Pet Company filed motion for emergency order of desist. If granted, pets will go to other store in Atl. Both sides in hearing with Judge

Mckamey and Pet Company before a judge. Store's attorney wants judge to order animals be given back.

Joe Burns, employee of TN Dept. of Agriculture, testifies about "filthy" conditions in pet store. Calls situation "neglect".

Karen Walsh, McKamey Executive Dir., says Pet Company is not safe for animals.

RT @KNicholson87: Go to www.wrcbtv.com for a look inside Hamilton Place at the now empty pet store

Judge taking a few mins to look over statute that McKamey works under. Soon to find out is animals will be returned.

Judge rules in favor of McKamey.

Here's the story on WRCB. 

Sunday Morning

I lured Spence and Scout up on the new cedar bench with a fortune cookie this morning, just to show everyone we are still around, just not doing much exciting this summer. (Scout sez, "Quit teasing and give me the $%&# cookie!")

I finally got around to putting the cedar bench together yesterday, and for those who admired it when it posted about it here, let me tell you that it was a breeze to put together.  I am already thinking about moving this one in front of the glider as a "coffee table" and buying this one for more storage.

I have to admit it's a bit of an adjustment to me having a retired conformation dog - more of an adjustment than I thought it would be and much more of an adjustment for me than it is for Scout.  She seems to love being a yard dog and in the evening being wherever I am. 

To me, it feels strange to have no dog shows on the calendar for the foreseeable future.  I have started Scout back in obedience, but it will be a while before she is trial ready.  I am thinking about running her through Rally Novice again; she has her title, but I think it might be good for us to get used to being in a ring together again.  Training her is so different from working with Spencer - both easier and harder.  Easier because she is not as hard-headed and pushy as her brother, harder because she is not as driven, either.  We'll figure it out.

Hope everyone is having the kind of weekend they want, and staying cool!

And here's another one!

Laura M is now doing a CSN giveaway!  C'mon Laura - how about a little payback??

I am going to blog about something again someday besides giveaways.  Not a lot going on around here that anyone would like to hear about - unless of course someone would like to hear about the hellish course of poison ivy I have been suffering through.  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller??

Tomorrow night Scout officially gets back on the path of being a performance dog as we start training for advanced rally and/or CD. 

They are popping up all over!

Now Sarah is having CSN Giveaway!

And the winner is . . . .

Laura M!  (Cooper Creek)  And it just goes to show, lightening does strike twice.  Way back in 2008, I did a little giveaway and she won then too!

Thanks to all who entered!  Maybe we will get a chance to do another someday!

Long Weekend coming to an end - and so is the Giveaway!

This has been a fun long weekend - started out Thursday night - Laura came to visit and we had dinner and went to see Sex and the City2 with a a bunch of squealing women.  Entertaining, but not great cinema, and I think we can say the franchise has officially jumped the shark.

Friday morning - we went to the vet and confirmed what I had been suspecting but not talking about - Scout is not pregnant.  Not sure why - probably bad timing, trying to get her bred around all the hustle and bustle of going to the specialty.  One thing we know is that it was not Lego's fault - he bred a bitch the week before and she is pregnant.  Disappointed, but we will try again in the fall, which truthfully should be a much better time for me, work-wise.

We buried our blues by shopping until we dropped.  So worn out, Laura just decided to stay another night.  Saturday the painters showed up and did a great job on painting the rest of the house and taking care of a few little carpentry needs around here.  They finished up this morning and I am very pleased with the results.

It's a rainy afternoon, and the all day "Hoarders"  marathon on A&E has inspired me to get back on the clearing out the basement project.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend, and don't forget to entry the CSN Stores Giveaway before midnight tonight!!

Here it is - THE GIVEAWAY!

It seems like most of my shopping dollars are spent online these days. I always shop first online – and only as a last resort will I venture out to the big retail stores, or, heaven forbid, the dreaded mall.

I recently found a new favorite place to shop online, called CSN Stores – which is actually kind of like a virtual mega-mall – over 200 stores. Two things I like about these stores – first, most of the items I have looked at have free shipping. Now you all know I am a beancounter, and I know that there is really no such thing as “free shipping” – someone has to be paid to bring you what you order. What it really means is that shipping is already priced in – so there are no surprises when you go to check out. Secondly, they take PayPal, which is my preferred way to pay.

My first purchase from a CSN store were shoes from Shoesgotsole.com – in my hard to find ski-length size. My last purchase was this cedar storage bench for my deck. One thing I love about it is the story behind the company that made it - Cedar Creek was developed to provide work and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

I have been doing some remodeling and rearranging at my house, and I have decided to move my sewing room to the basement, and returning that room to a guest room. (This will keep me from having to arm wrestle guests when I try to get them to sleep in the beds and let me sleep on the couch – you and you know who I am talking about!) Anyhow – I decided to put a twin sleeper sofa in this smallish room, and lo and behold, CSNSofas.com has a huge sleeper sofa collection. Here’s one called "Ludlow" and is the one I have just about decided on, in leaf green:

OK – enough about my shopping habits – you came here for the GIVEAWAY! The nice folks at CSN said that I can give away a $40 gift card, which can be used in any of their 200+stores! The contest is open to those in US and Canada. Many items have free shipping, but be aware that some items may have shipping charges or in the case of Canadian readers, international fees, for certain products.

All of the items that I posted in Wednesday’s teaser are available in one of the CSN stores for less than $40. Look at some of the other cool stuff I found, for my dog friends in particular:

The $40 gift certificate would make a big dent on the purchase of the essential Picnic Time chair at tailgatepartyingsupply.com!

And look at this very cool pet gate (called a Gate N Crate) at allpetfurniture.com that converts a bunch of different ways (sorry the pic is so fuzzy - check it out here):

Ok - Here are the particulars: You can get up to five chances to win in a random drawing for the $40 gift card – choose any or all of the following options:

1. Just post a comment to this post with your email address (just so I can email you when you win - if you know I have your addy, you don't have to post it) saying that you would like to win.

2. Check out a sleeper sofa and post a comment letting me know which one you like best.

3. Blog a link to this post on your own blog, and leave me a comment here that you did that.

4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet a link to this post (and leave a comment here saying that did that)

5. Facebook a link to this post (and leave a comment here saying that you did it). Please friend me if we have not friended already!

Entries close at midnight EDT on Memorial Day, May 31, and I will post the winner ASAP. Good luck!!

Another teaser!

Look at just a few of the things you could choose from in this weekend's giveaway:

Details will be posted Thursday!

Stay tuned - Fun Giveaway this weekend!

I have just been given the opportunity to give away something very cool on this very blog! Check back for details!

Happy Birthday, Spencer-man!

Happy 7th Birthday to the dog of my heart! 

Baby Spencer came home to me at 8 weeks old and my life was never to be the same. I knew nothing of obedience trials or that seemingly sane people actually drove hours every week to go out in the country and to let their dogs play with sheep. I had seen agility on ESPN but it never entered my mind that I would ever give it a try myself.

I had no idea that there was a whole world of people out there doing all this craziness or that so many of those people would come to be my best friends.

This sweet, scary smart, obstinate, full of himself creature makes me laugh everyday.  Happy Birthday, butternut!

And Happy Birthday to brother Wilson and the rest of Will and Josie's kids.


p.s.  Watch for Spencer to make his dog show debut!  Now that he is 7, I can enter his little ball-less self in Veteran's Sweeps!

The 'maters are in the ground. Finally.

A little late this year, but I had to wait for the guys who cleaned up the downed tree to finish their job. And, with our late and cool spring, we are just now having plus-50 degree nights.

Two plants each of San Marzanos, Sugar Snacks, and Romas, and one each Brandywine and Celebrity.

Enjoying Lemonade

You know that old saying about what you do when life hands you lemons?  I felt like a big old lemon landed on my head when were at the Specialty.  The Megan was just about to start and my phone rings - and I recognize the number as one of my neighbors.  She was calling to tell me that a huge tree in my backyard had fallen on my house.  The tree had so many leaves and branches that they could not tell what the damage was underneath.

Once everything was cleared away, things were not nearly as bad as they could have been.  The rail on the deck had to be replaced, along with the rickety gate (literally held together with bungees), and the leaky gutter that already needed repair was pulled away from the house.  A few shingles needed to be replaced as well on the corner of the house.

So I ended up having the insurance company pay to fix things that already needed fixing.  The new gate is so much better than the original one ever was.   Two sides of the house were completely repainted because of relatively minor scratches. The painting contractor told me that he had enough paint left over to completely paint the rest of the house.  He made me a great deal on the labor, so I am getting the whole house painted for a fraction of what it would have cost in a normal situation.  But here's the great part - he also threw into the bid some minor carpentry work that I needed and had not been able to get anyone else to take care of for me. 

So, I raise my glass of crystal light raspberry lemonade to you!

Another Trio of Terror Doodad

Just bought it on eBay:

(Grace, Moira and Scout as 6 month old pups)

How cool is this?

This was generated using the Toon-Paint app on my phone (thanks for the tip, Heidi!)

This is the original:

Yaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnn. . .

I spent $200 to sign me and Spencer up for a working slot in an obedience workshop given by a nationally well known trainer. Auditors only paid $40 to sit in and listen.

We started at 9:00 this morning, and as of 4:15 this afternoon, 9 of the 20 working teams just got to do a few broad jump exercises with very little if any personalized attention. Otherwise, all we have done is to sit and listen to her ramble about various things.

My iPhone is about to go dead because I have spent so much time surfing. Tomorrow we will just be more productive at home, I think.