squirrel saga

The weather here has been a persistent, cold rain. I heard it hitting the window when the dogs woke me up this morning. I had slept later than usual and they were frantic to go outside. After letting them out, I realized that they weren't frantic to pee, they were frantic to chase squirrels. Apparently, they had been watching a squirrel invasion of our yard through the window.

My dogs have never encountered any other evilness the likes of these squirrels. When it comes to chasing squirrels, my dogs do not have enough sense to come in out of the rain. Seriously, all three of them, jumping around the base of a tree, in pouring down rain, for 45 minutes. Even bribes of leftover turkey would not dissuade them from their post. I am ever so glad that I thoroughly mopped the kitchen floor yesterday. Otherwise, the muddy paw prints would not have been nearly so prominent. Rosco is definitely the worst of the squirrel nazis. He will spend hours hunting and guarding against squirrels. Just try to imagine, if you will, how much muddy rainwater this fuzzball can soak up. Normally attentive and obedient, he will not even acknowledge my presence when squirrels are afoot.

I like to think of myself as a lover of wildlife, and in one regard, that is true. I enjoy the flora and fauna of the outdoors. I love camping and hiking and generally communing with nature. However, my opinion of squirrels is pretty low. They are rodents. I used to think they were cute, but I realize that they are little more than rats who know how to accessorize. Take away that fluffy tail and you have a rat. In my neck of the woods (the suburbs) they are rampant. Add in the teasing and aggravating of my dogs and I wish for a squirrel free zone.

For when it comes to squirrels, my dogs have nothing on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Perhaps they have seen this on the post office wall.

It does not matter that they are outsmarted daily by the squirrels. They are sure that it is just a matter of time and luck until they apprehend their prey. I only hope that they would be as protective in the case of a real intruder, but I have my doubts. Unless said intruder happened to look like this...

Maybe squirrel accessorizing is really catching on.

Thankful thoughts

I am sitting here this morning, reflecting on the day ahead. The turkey will go in the oven in a few hours, we are eating late today. I love Thanksgiving, for a number of reasons. I have much to be thankful for, several things have already touched me today and made me think.

First thing this morning, I got out a graph that was made by my father 11 years ago. It includes roasting times, at two different temperatures, for turkeys based on weight. He made it in 1997 and sent it to all of his children. I am probably the only one who still has it and uses it every year. My father was an engineer, there are some things that you can only appreciate if you have ever lived with an engineer. Over the years, I have collected engineer humor sent to me by my sisters. My father would have never seen the humor in these jokes, but reading them makes me love him more.

You might be an engineer if...

You wear a pocket protector and it is full of mechanical pencils.
When a three year old asks "Why is the sky blue?" you start explaining it to them.
You can explain which direction the water spins as you flush the toilet and why.
You read PC World and Popular Mechanics, while on vacation.
Your idea of good interpersonal communication means getting the decimal point in the right place.
At Christmas, you will spend hours finding the burnt out light bulb on the string of Christmas lights.
You own a slide rule and know how to use it.
You can remember seven computer passwords, but not your anniversary.
You've actually used your time to fix a $5.00 radio (and had all the parts on hand to do it).
The highlight of your Caribbean cruise was the Captain's tour of the engine room.
You consider yourself well-dressed, if your socks match.
You have built your stereo or television from a Heathkit.
You know the second law of thermo-dynamics, but not your own shirt size.
You see the truth, but not the humor in any of the above.

I am thankful to have been raised by an engineer.


A few weeks ago, this occurred in Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati.

I am thankful that this kind of sportsmanship and compassion still exists.
Mardy Gilyard is a wide receiver for the Bearcats. After crashing into the sidelines and accidentally hitting a seven year old spectator, he took off his helmet and hugged the frightened child. This young man has overcome his share of difficulties. As a freshman, he lost his scholarship, his home and his place on the team due to being placed on academic probation. Instead of quitting and blaming others, he lived in his car and worked four jobs to pay his tuition. His perseverance has been rewarded by getting his place on the team and his scholarship back. I hope that his parents, his coach and his team are all as proud of him as I am.

I am thankful for my family and my friends, they love me, offer me support and enrich my life. I am thankful for my job, in these economic times, it is rare to have job security. I am thankful for my dogs, who offer an unlimited source of affection and amusement for me (and they diligently protect us from the evil squirrels). I am thankful for my home, obtaining it, maintaining it and occupying it for 15 years is nothing short of miraculous. I am thankful for J, he enriches my life in more ways than I can count. He has met needs in me that I did not even know I had. I am a much better person because of him.

For all of you that are celebrating Thanksgiving, and all of you who are not, I wish for you a glorious day. I hope that you all have as much to be thankful for as I do.

contradictions

I have been engaging in a lot of self-examination lately. I have always thought of myself as a peace loving person. I have studied the philosophy of war and just war theory. I believe, in most cases, war is unjustified. I feel the same way about fighting on a lesser scale. While I believe that violence is part of human nature, I also view it as largely unnecessary. I have never been involved in a street fight, bar room brawl or any other type of similar altercation. I do deal with violent individuals and (occasionally) fights at work. We are trained in methods of deescalation and physical restraints and while I am skilled at it, I certainly do not like it.

The contradiction that exists within me is my enjoyment and fascination of certain sports. I love boxing and hockey. I enjoy watching two athletes pummel each other until they are punch drunk or bloody. I like watching hockey, but I am always secretly hoping for a fight to break out (which it does quite often). To attend a hockey game, where no fight occurs, is a bit of a disappointment to me. I don't think that I can even define the appeal. There is just something about the rawness, the brute force and the intensity that excites me. I don't want to engage in it, just watch it. It does make me wonder about what that says about me.


That's what I'm talking about!


Ali really was the greatest of all time.

Have a Nice Day

This post is for J. I know how difficult work has been for him. I wanted to communicate how much I completely understand that (and hopefully make him smile).

Perhaps a different management style might benefit your employees.

If business doesn't improve, there will always be other opportunities.

Remember...sometimes telling someone to fuck off, may prompt them to come up with their own answer.

Eventually, things will get better (or you will die).

The next time you are in an unproductive meeting, which is taking your valuable time away from real work, think of this truth and smile.

Images are from Despair.com.

Soulful

Some things just touch my soul. They cause me to feel that profound, deep, emotional connection. I have been experiencing that a lot lately, that ache deep inside, that tug on my heart. I have been very reflective lately. I am changing, evolving. I know this is a growth process, yet changes are hard.

This past year with J has changed me. He has changed me, much healing has occurred, my ability to trust has been re-established, I have opened myself up again. For years I have been reserved and private. I have had a few close friends, but mostly just acquaintances. That is one of the changes, I am letting more people into my life. I am relearning relationships. I had become emotionally selfish. I guarded my emotions carefully and did not let people in. I am still rather private, but I no longer hold people at arms length. I am learning that boundaries do not have to be walls. It is nice to accept love and caring from people, without searching for ulterior motives. I am still learning to accept others and to accept myself. Funny, how self-acceptance is often the hardest.

Here are some things that touch my soul...


Yo Yo Ma performing Silent Woods by Antonin Dvorak

Incidentally, I am related to Dvorak on my father's side.


Andrea Bocelli - Resta Qui

I sometimes think I could have an orgasm from listening to him sing. Not that you even wanted to know that.

Yes, We Can!

Barack Obama - Bringing sexyback to Washington!

Did You?

It's been a long road to the polls today. Lots of emotion and lots of drama. Regardless of who wins, we are experiencing history. Voter turn out at the polls may be the largest we have ever seen, at least the largest in a long time. The last eight years and the state of the country has motivated people to exercise their right to vote. Love it or hate it, I agree with Michelle Obama, "What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something -- for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I've seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it's made me proud."

And the best part? The robo-calls have finally stopped!

Post-Halloween-Post

I love, love, love Halloween! I always have. Last night was trick-or-treat night here. The grandchildren came over and their parents took them around to collect loot, while I stayed home and passed out candy.

I sat on the front porch with our little hound, Tucker. (He is the calmest of the dogs.) I love seeing all the kids in their costumes. I love it when the "big" kids dress up and come around as well. I remember trick-or-treating even in Junior High. We would hit the streets and keep going for hours, ending up miles away from our house. Times were different then. We would get homemade treats, popcorn balls and caramel apples, and yes, we would eat them. I remember once visiting with an elderly gentleman, who was lonely (a stranger to us at the time). He told us that he had lost his wife that year and he didn't get many visitors, when we left, he asked us to return. Which we did and formed a friendship that lasted for years. I know there were dangers, even then, but it was easier to trust in the goodness of people.

I like the homemade costumes better. For years, I always made the boys costumes each year. I sewed devil suits, vampire capes, scarecrow outfits and Davey Crockett, frontiersman garb. Last night I saw fairies, butterflies, ghouls, sports players and even a Twister game costume. The grandchildren were knights and a kitty. I dressed up for work (we do dress up on Halloween) and was a zombie bride.

We had a late supper last night of tacos and apple cider. I did manage to limit the candy intake. Though, from the level of hyperness today, you would not believe me. This morning we baked muffins for breakfast. The kids brought their small pumpkins from their field-trip. We cut them open and scraped out the seeds. The kids are coloring and I am writing this, while we wait for them to bake so we can make pumpkin pies.

Thanksgiving is next, I am already planning the menu. Of course it is pretty traditional and doesn't change much from year to year. Thanksgiving will usher in the Christmas season, decorating, baking, making presents, wrapping...but now I am getting way ahead of myself.