5/30/07

* * * By the way, I worried, when we bought this house, that the nightly teeth-brushing and contact-popping would be a pain in the ass, that we’d get in each others’ way because the bathroom only has one sink, rather than the two sinks we had at the old house. However, I am pleased to report that we don’t get in each others’ way hardly at all, and I only have to sigh and give him the stinkeye once or twice each evening, and only because he needs to keep up his stinkeye tolerance just in case. I’m not discounting the possibility that ten years of sharing the same sink might get Mighty Fucking Old, but for now it seems to be working for us.

* * *
So my parents have come and gone. We did lots of eating out, shopping, and TV-watching (though we didn’t go to the movies at all) while they were here. The best part of it all is that my father was a working MACHINE, and he and Fred got a bunch of stuff done – trees cut down, the areas around some of the big trees cleared, and – my favorite – the fence around the back yard put up. My father keeps saying he’ll be back in the Fall, and given how much he really likes the hard work that he and Fred did, I don’t doubt that he will. Fred went from “I think your parents are kidding about buying the house next door!” to “I think your Dad should buy the house next door so he can come over and help me with stuff!” My father said several times that they should buy the house as a winter home – but really, it ended up costing too much for them to seriously consider it. I think I mentioned that they were going to bring their dog – Benji – with them, and I was concerned about how the cats would react. Let me repeat: I was concerned about the cats. What I should have been concerned about, apparently, is that Mister Boogers and Maxi and Newt – especially Maxi – would kick Benji’s butt every time he looked at them funny. Sometimes it was understandable, as in the first time Benji went running toward Maxi and Newt and they felt threatened, so immediately unleashed the Paws of Doom and had him spinning in circles yelping. (I didn’t see it myself, but apparently it was quite the sight to behold.) Sometimes Benji would be minding his own business and a cat would decide he needed his butt kicked, such as the time we were all on the cement pad eating dinner. Maxi and Newt always join us when we eat outside, and my parents brought Benji outside because – well, why not? He’s a good dog, he (mostly) behaves himself, why shouldn’t he get to hang out with us? Anyway, Maxi and Newt were over by us, and Benji was over by my parents. Maxi decided Benji needed some discipline, so she puffed up and showed him what was what. By day three, poor Benji wouldn’t walk by any of the cats on his own. And he’s such a good dog that he didn’t even dream of going after any of the cats. I only saw him bare his teeth once, and that was while he was eating, and Mister Boogers began vigorously sniffing his (Benji’s) butt You can’t really blame a guy for not liking to have his butt sniffed while he’s trying to eat. So as much as Benji is a good dog and behaved himself and didn’t pee in the house (my big concern, but he’s not prone to that, I guess), I came to the conclusion, for the umpteenth time, that I am SO not a dog person. He’s a sweet dog, but I just don’t like having a dog around. It’s with no small sense of irony that I report that late last week, a beagle (or beagle mix) dog showed up on our front porch and has been hanging around ever since. She and Benji had a good time (and Benji didn’t let the fact that he’s been fixed slow him down at ALL. If y’know what I MEAN.) and I tried my best to talk my parents into bringing her home. My mother might have gone for it, but my father wasn’t up for it at all, and in the end they left without her. The lady two doors down is interested in keeping her, but she has no way to contain her (interesting fact about beagles – they don’t like to be fenced in, and they have got some LUNGS on them). I don’t know if the dog was a dropoff, or if she ran off from her home – she’s wearing a blue collar, but no tags – and doesn’t know how to get back or what. Fred’s under instructions to call and place ads in the local papers; hopefully that’ll bring a tearful owner thrilled to be reunited with little Trixiebelle. She’s a sweet dog and I don’t mind having her around, but it annoys me when we go for our nightly walk and Maxi and Newt don’t accompany us because the dog’s with us. I mean, they’ve kicked her butt, too, and she avoids them and all, but they don’t go out of their way to hang out with her in the vicinity, and I really like having them follow us around. For the time being, I guess we’ll feed her (she’s been eating cat food on the front porch, but I dug out the bag of dog food left over from when we had Jake and filled a bowl for her), but that dog is NOT coming in my house, and once the gates are up in the back yard, I’m not allowing her in the back yard. And the first one of you idiots who’s all “Oh Robyn, just ADMIT IT! You have a dog!”, I’m going to hunt you down and kick you in the knee. I don’t have a dog, I don’t want a dog, I’m not a dog person, and I won’t feel bad about it. However, if anyone out there’s interested in taking her, BY ALL MEANS let me know. She’s good with other dogs, she’s not aggressive, she’s pretty submissive in fact, and she’s a sweetie pie. I’d drive at least a couple of hours to bring her to a good home. She likes to roam, though. She’d probably be happiest on a farm or in a pretty rural area. She has no street smarts – she’s not completely up on the idea of staying out of the road, though I think Benji taught her the basic idea of it – so a heavily trafficked area might not be the best idea for her. Beagles are supposed to be good hunters, aren’t they? Well, she might be a good hunter, but she doesn’t know squat about fetching a stick. You know you want her. There are all kinds of cat and dog pictures over at Flickr. Also, you can check out a buttload of the spud’s graduation pictures, here.
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Miz Poo: “I don’t see why that damn dog gets to go outside and we can’t. UNFAIR.” Mister Boogers: *fume* “Ah hets dawgs.”
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Previously 2006: No entry. 2005: Every time I type in “u” instead of “you”, I die a little inside. 2004: No entry. 2003: What happens if you put a box on the floor? 2002: “Where was it, Bessie?” he asked, trying to draw me into the trap with him, so he could perhaps trip me and then run away, leaving me there for her to latch onto. 2001: What do you s’pose a realtor’s house looks like? I always assumed it’d be a real showplace, with everything just so, all appliances gleaming and so on. 2000: Every time I blow-dry my hair, it sounds like the phone is ringing. ]]>

22 thoughts on “5/30/07”

  2. Thanks for linking the graduation pictures. What does the medal on the red ribbon signify?

  4. That is hilarious that the cats beat up your parents dog… Poor lil guy! Still funny though. It’s so obvious that cats are WAY smarter than dogs. I just wish dog owners would realize that. 😉 Only kidding of course…
    The beagle is cute! I agree with you though, 8 cats {just admit Maxi & Newt are yours!} is more than enough for y’all. 😛

  5. Glad your back. Is it just me or does Spuds friend (the one without the grad. gown) look alot like Jack Black?

  6. Oh and P.S. I love your skirt that you wore to the Spud’s graduation! 🙂

  7. Oy, a beagle! Beagles are adorable, but a handful. I checked out the site sosbeagles dot org dot map and altho there’s no rescue in your state, there are resources in adjoining states. You might also want to try them for ideas, heck they might even have a foster home nearby for quick offload. I won’t suggest you have a dog, but she is awful cute. 🙂

  9. I agree with Jane. STOP SHOPPING AT THE BIG GIRLS DEPT!!!!
    Oh and the beagle is cute. I almost want her. But not seeing as how I am NOT a dog person either.
    But then again, would you be willing to drive to DC. I might take her and stuff her in this small ass apt. just to meet you!!!

  10. You know Fred is going to adopt that dog (hopefully nothing disastrous is going to happen this time!)

  11. I’m just glad you’re back! It took me about 3 days to finally remember that your parentals were coming down and that’s why you weren’t blogging. I was getting worried! But Fred was blogging (for once) so I wasn’t too worried.
    Cats ARE so much better than dogs, aren’t they!

  12. Robyn,
    Your baby is growing up! Next big picture day will be when she gets married!!!! :/

  13. We have dogs and cats (and birds and fish and turtles, etc) and they all get along just fine. Thank Dog.
    I do remember long ago, watching my little dog sidle up to the water dish to get a drink. The cat was sitting right beside the bowl and as the dog drank, drew back her paw (like a friggin bow) and then smacked the dog hard in the head, causing the dog’s face to go all the way into the water, which caused the dog to knock the bowl over and run screaming from the room.
    Then, I’m pretty sure I heard the cat snickering. I can’t be sure because I was snickering pretty hard myself.

  14. I have a little beagle and she’s not a handful at all, in fact she’s the most loving dog I’ve ever had. She doesn’t stink as long as she’s a house dog and given a bath once a month. But be careful with her/him running outside without a leash, they are hound dogs and will take off after a scent and run into the road in a heart beat. Please try to find a good home for her, they’re wonderful pets.

  15. Aww. I totally wish i could take that dog from you, Robyn. I had to put my 18 year old bagel (half beagle, half basset hound) down 2 years ago. This one looks so much like my poor old dog! If I didn’t live so close to the arctic circle and it would cost a fortune to ship the doggie, I’d take her. =( I hope you find her a good home.

  16. Jenn: I’d certainly consider delivering her to DC if no one else wanted her! 🙂 It may be a moot point, though – I haven’t seen her today. Possibly her owner found her, or she decided that the lady two doors down is a better place to be. Maybe she was just hanging around here because Benji was here!
    Contrary: I just snickered pretty hard, too. Hee!
    Lulu: It has the name of her high school on it, along with a drawing (is it a drawing if it’s on a medal?) of the school.
    Niki F: I can see the resemblance! 🙂
    Jennifer: Hopefully we’ll have at least several years before THAT happens!

  17. Hmmm. You are feeding the dog and giving him a comfy place to sleep. And you wonder why the dog is hanging out with you? OK – you weren’t wondering. I hope the doggy found his home – he sure looked like a nice doggy – and he did not go elsewhere cuz his “new” best friend went away. You are his best chance down in red neck land in finding him a permanent, safe place to live.

  18. Robyn,
    I must say you look mahvalous!
    Your blog was one of the first I started reading , back in the olden days when I had my 386 computer.(I think that’s what my kids said it was)
    The spud was just a kid then ,no one knew her name was Danielle and you and Fred were ….a little bigger . 🙂
    And you guys were also the only other “freaks” I knew of at the time ,that had met on the internet.
    My husband and I did too, but back then it was an embarrassing thing to admit. LOL
    Tubby was an everyday feature back then.
    Boy time flies.
    It’s been a joy to read about you guys and your many (8 now) cats ,all these years.
    Congrats on your GROWN daughter!!!
    Don’t you LOATHE dress clothes? *shudder*
    And don’t you LERVE cats soooo much more than dogs?
    I’ve loved a few dogs in my day….but we know ..CATS RULE!
    P.S.
    I just went to one of those big cat preserve things. It was awesome. If you guys ever go to Eureka Springs ,Ar. You’ll want to check it out. It’s called Turpentine Creek.

  19. I would take doggie in a heartbeat but am too far away (BC Canada. Unless you and Fred want to make a road trip out of it? 😉
    Congrats to the Spud on her graduation and the next steps. Glad to hear you survived your parents visit and your dad was such a great help. I am sure he enjoyed himself having ‘tool time’ things to do 🙂

  20. Pingback: Jackie Danicki » Sweet nothings

  21. I would love to take that doggy, but I’m in Kansas. I love dogs so much. I have a basset hound and she reminds me so much of her. I hope she finds a good home. Dogs rule, cats drool!!! 😛

  22. How great! You are a dog owner now. Let’s see – feeding it-check; letting it sleep on your porch-check; taking pictures of it-check; letting it follow you around your property-check. Yep, you own a dog. Seriously, he is so cute, you need to keep him.

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