The Day My Mom Didn't Know the Answer to a Cooking Question

For a gal who didn't know how to cook when she got married (at the tender age of 20, I might add), my mom sure upped her own ante and I grew up eating delicious, awesome home-cooked meals.

To this day the woman STILL makes the best stroganoff, spaghetti and "party chicken" I've ever tasted.

To that end, if I ever have a recipe question, 9 times outta 10 I call Mom. I mean, who needs Google when your mom's a stellar cook?

"Mom, I want to change this crockpot dish to the oven. How long do I bake it, at what temp?"

"Mom, I can't remember the ingredients of Granny's spaghetti...again."

"Mom, what's that dish you make whenever you need to make it ahead of time for a party?"

"Mom...?"

Well, this evening I called Mom (yet again) to ask some mundane cooking question...

...and for the first time in my life -- that I can remember, at any rate -- I heard her say these nearly un-uttered words:

"Hm. I don't know."

When I told her I was blogging about it, she was VERY adamant that I let everyone know that on 6/9/2015 at 18:37 she said aforementioned phrase, yes.

But ONLY in regards to ONE cooking question :)




PS: what I asked was how long to bake home-made (from Grundhofer's!) frozen twice-baked potatoes for at 450°. To her credit, she didn't know the answer because she doesn't cook frozen twice-baked potatoes!

What Would Your Name Be If You Were Born Today?

So, these Facebook quizzes.

a) they're dumb.
b) they're time-consuming.
c) they're not at all true.
d) they're also addicting.

This morning I saw one and thought, "Hm. That seems like fun." So I tried it out: Find Out What Your Name Would Be If You Were Born Today.

Turns out that "Sarah" in 1978 translates to "Abigail" in 2015. Which is hella WEIRD because the nickname I gave MYSELF back when I was a tween was ...

... Abigail.

After the movie Young Frankenstein, of course. Abby Normal? Yeah. That was me.

Twould seem sometimes these quizzes are somewhat accurate.

What Does Sarah Really Mean?

Sometimes when I've got a few minutes to kill at work, I wander over to Facebook and click on something stupid, like "Which Game of Thrones Character Are You?"

(PS: it's Margaery, by the way. And I'm totally fine with that.)

Well, today it was "What's Your True Personality?" You type in your first name, hit Enter and VOILÀ! You learn your hidden -- or maybe not so hidden -- identity.

I find this test to be very apt and recommend taking it. Why?

Because THIS:

Image Source

'Nuff said.

Mozilla Firefox's New Logo

I'm gonna be the first to break the news that Firefox has a new logo.

Okay, so it's really not a "logo," per se, but it's a very fitting emblem. Well, wait, what's a logo, anyway?

According to the font of all knowledge -- Wikipedia -- a logo is described as:

"A graphic mark, emblem, or symbol commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition."

Well, then I guess Firefox's new logo is indeed a logo. Only thing is, they didn't choose it -- I did.

Without further ado, HERE IT IS!

Even though I personally have chosen this as Mozilla Firefox's new logo, I feel it accurately depicts the browser and, well, anyone who uses it knows it definitely is recognizable :)

Why is "segue" such a weird word?

I mean, truly...what a weird-ass word. It's fine to say -- I'm actually a big fan of using it -- but the way it's SPELLED.

GAH.

Why isn't it just spelled segway? I mean, c'mon.

I seriously think the first time I saw this word in print I had NO clue what it was, even though I'd heard it used in conversation. Because DUMB spelling.

Kind of like macabre. Ask my sister how I said that word way back when. Knew exactly what it was, how to use it, everything...no clue how to pronounce it.

I think ever since then weirdly spelled words really grind my gears.

Words to Live by: 10 Great Disney Movie Quotes

I've always – ALWAYS – been a fan of Disney movies. Especially the animated ones.

I mean, who doesn't love watching a cute, cuddly character have fun adventures while learning a life lesson? Because, in every Disney movie there's obviously a moral.

This isn't earth-shattering material. Hell, it's not even unique (but what on the Internet IS anymore?!), but here are my top ten favorite quotes – words to live by, if you will (and I think you will) – from Disney movies.

1. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. (Bambi)
2. Don't be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. (Beauty & the Beast)
3. If you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true. (Cinderella)
4. Just keep swimming. (Finding Nemo)
5. The past can hurt…but you can either run from it, or learn from it. (Lion King)
6. The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it. (Peter Pan)
7. Always let your conscience be your guide. (Pinocchio)
8. If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.  (Pocahontas)
9. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere. (Ratatouille)
10. You're never too old to be young. (Snow White)

What're YOUR favorite animated movie quotes?

Google "Related to" Searches Can Leave Me Feeling Dead Inside

I'm a search marketer. Well, according to my boss-slash-husband, I'm a Digital Strategist. But whatever.

So today I'm doing PPC keyword research for a client. This particular client happens to be a women's wellness clinic, and the keywords were OB-GYN focused. Part of the research I do, I perform in Google AdWords' Keyword Planner Tool (which I don't like very much. I much prefer the old one). Another part of my research involves heading over to The Google and typing in some of the stuff I've found on the KPT...to see what Google is auto-suggesting for me.

ALSO on The Google, I take a look at the bottom of the page where the "searches related to..." section resides. There's some good stuff down there -- I mean, if The Google is suggesting it, odds are people are clicking on it (even though these recommendations are at the BOTTOM of the SERP. Yes, there IS life below the fold).

Anyway.

So I'm doing "OB GYN" type searches and this is what I'm seeing for auto-suggest and related searches:

No biggie. Pretty standard.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand then I type in "find a gynecologist." And things get...weird...in the "related to" section:

I mean, I trust The Google (most of the time). But, when they throw in something SO far off base that it can't even see the baseline, well...it makes me pause for a second. I mean, ONLY a second -- not like I'd go use Bing or anything!

I've been trying to find ANY other "related to" searches that're rotten eggs, and I'm having a hard time.

Has anyone else ever run across something THIS far outta line for Google "related to" searches???

What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

I've got WHAT?

After weeks of playing phone- and text-tag, my bestie and I FINALLY got to chat for a few minutes this morning. (Besides the President she's the busiest person I know.) Since we only had about 10 minutes' worth of chat time, we had to cram in all that's been going on with us lately into a quick conversation.

I was telling her about this-and-that when it hit me that she didn't know a big thing that's been happening in my life recently. I told her, "Oh, and lately my arms have been really painful and I can't hold onto things – like my mouse or the steering wheel – for very long periods of time and sometimes I'd just lie down and try to keep my arms still and cry because of the pain." She gave a gasp and said, "Whoa, what the heck is wrong with you?"

Well, that WAS the question in question a few weeks back...I seriously thought my mid-thirties were just creeping up on me and trying to single-handedly end my active lifestyle. I mean, I already fight the effects of having two disc herniations; why was I being plagued with yet ANOTHER major bodily defect? And, more importantly – what WAS the issue?

Enough is Enough (is Enough is Enough)
After one of the lying-on-the-couch-crying episodes I figured enough was enough and made an emergency visit to my chiropractor. I tearily told her my symptoms (and all the things I couldn't do lately because of the pain) and she performed a few physical tests. One of which involved me putting my arms up at shoulder height, then bending my elbows into Ls and opening and closing my hands as quickly as I could – I was supposed to do this exercise for 60 seconds; I made it to 10 before I told her, "I just can't do this anymore," it hurt that badly.

She then had me quickly lower my arms so my hands were below my waist, palms-up...and I stared in shock at my WHITE hands. Slowly, the left hand started to turn slightly pink; the right steadfastly remained WHITE. The chiropractor, looking on, merely said, "Oh. Well then." Freaked out, I asked, "What's going on??" She replied, "Well, you're not getting enough blood in your arms. This is the clearest case of thoracic outlet syndrome I've ever run across."

This wasn't an entirely strange diagnosis; one of my other chiropractors had mentioned I could have symptoms of TOS a couple of years ago, when I'd wake up in the middle of the night with one arm entirely devoid of life...but I'd done some stretching and gotten a couple treatments and had been fine. Or so I'd thought. Evidently I hadn't kicked thoracic outlet syndrome; it'd started rearing its ugly head yet again...but in such a different manner I hadn't even considered that to be the issue.

What is thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)?

So, what in hell is thoracic outlet syndrome, anyway? Well, according to Mayo Clinic, TOS is:

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a group of disorders that occur when the blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and your first rib (thoracic outlet) become compressed. This can cause pain in your shoulders and neck and numbness in your fingers. 

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons breaks thoracic outlet syndrome down into symptoms for the two categories:

Pressure on the nerves (brachial plexus) may cause a vague, aching pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, or hand. It may also cause pain, numbness, or tingling on the inside of the forearm and the fourth and fifth fingers of the hand. Weakness may make your hand clumsy.

Pressure on the blood vessels can reduce the flow of blood out of your arm, resulting in swelling and redness of your arm. Less commonly, pressure can reduce the blood flow into your arm and hand, making them feel cool and easily fatigued.

My chiropractor had said my problem was blood flow restriction, so I obviously fit into the latter category as I was experiencing pain and numbness throughout both my arms and hands; there was no evidence of pinpointed tingling in any fingers or parts of my arms. (I also have very cold hands – just ask my husband.)

What's the prognosis of my TOS?

She tested out the muscles in my neck and chest – near my clavicle – and promptly went to work on that area to loosen up all the tightness. She gave me a few stretching exercises to be performed daily – as often as I wanted to – and also told me I need to really pull my shoulders back. Because of my back issues I have pretty good posture (I'm very aware of engaging my core at all times), but it seems I was letting my shoulders crumple forward – partially due to the tightness in my pec muscles – and that was only exacerbating the problem.

So, I'm to continue stretching out my pecs and neck muscles, along with my forearms/wrists, etc., all while focusing on keeping my shoulders back. Oh, and not crunching my shoulders when I sleep, either. And trying to keep my neck aligned properly on my pillow. OH, and of course while doing my core- and glute-strengthening exercises every day. *sigh* Getting old sucks.

What Causes TOS?
Finally, what caused my TOS? Who knows is the best guess. I mentioned I've been having neck muscle tension problems while sleeping since I was 13 years old...the chiro asked, "Were you in a car accident as a kid?" I replied, "No...but I fell off my horses quite a bit – once, about the year my neck problems started, I fell of my mare and got knocked out."

"Well, that could do it," she said...but of course who really knows for sure. The point is, I've been diagnosed, I know what's going on and how to combat it. The problem is trying to work through this issue when I've been suffering from it for so long...now I have to basically break down scar tissue from who-knows-when.

Here are a couple of videos explaining thoracic outlet syndrome and also several exercises to help with the symptoms...let me tell you, something so easy as straightening out your arm at shoulder height and moving your neck shouldn't seem hard – but I could barely make it through TWO reps of each of these exercises!





So there you have it. Thoracic outlet syndrome. The next time you see me and I seem like I don't want to move my arms, it's probably because I haven't been doing my exercises!


PS: During the composing of this blog posts many breaks were taken. 'Cause, of course I can't TYPE for long periods of time, either :)

Here's The Deal These Days

I've been a bag blogger. Which is not to say I haven't been communicating or throwing random thoughts/fotos out onto The Interwebz...I mean, I'm posting. Just not here. Kinda hard to take the time to sit down – or, in my case, stand – and think out an entire blog post AND write it AND make sure I didn't make any dumb spelling errors, etc. It's all just so...time-consuming. Also, let's be honest: the only people who read this blog already know what's going on in my life, anyway. Amirite?

I'm what I like to refer to as a Gen-Betweener – I kinda fall into the gray No Man's Land designating the end of Gen X and beginning of Gen Y...check out this chick's research on it – so I didn't grow up in the era of every-damn-kid's-got-a-cell-phone and definitely was not used to "Googling it" during high school (or college, for that matter...sheesh, I started using The Google in 2000, with only 2 years left of higher learning).

That being said, I'm now very used to the fast-paced online world – no time, no time, gotta move on to the next thing; if you haven't said what you're gonna say (and said it NOW) in 140 characters or less, it's already old news and all that. Which is why my blogging (though never regular) has taken a back seat these days.

These days.

What does that even mean? The days of this week? This calendar year? All the days from this moment back to when I graduated college, bought my own house, got a tattoo? Who knows. Irregardless*, here are some random things I've been contemplating "these days."

1. Re-learning how to walk. That's right. I've not only been contemplating this; I've been attempting to do it. I was recently told by one of my sports doctors the likely culprit for my chronic low-back/hip problems is that I'm built in such a way that I'm constantly fighting to maintain proper posture. Enter the pelvic tilt. As in, I need to CONSTANTLY do it. Properly. Also, I need to engage my glutes (both max & med) – properly. It's extremely difficult learning how to stand/walk/move correctly after 30-odd years of doing it INCORRECTLY.
2. The Gummy Money Guy. If you've seen his hilarious Vine, you know EXACTLY why I can't. Get. It. Outta. My. Head. "Yo my name is Nicholas"...my co-worker posed a FANTASTIC question this morning: "Think I can get that in a ring tone?" Turns out that, yes, you can.
3. Loss of the Google Keyword Tool. Sigh. Yes, sadly, we in the search marketing business are mourning the loss of a great tool that's been replaced by a tool we basically loathe. Which makes us cranky.
4. Twerking. Yup, I've been contemplating twerking. Not DOING it, mind you (though if I could, you could be sure I would), just...wondering. I mean, it seems to have such a broad definition. Originally I thought it meant this specific move. But after reading about all the hooplah Miley Cyrus has drummed up from "twerking" and stunning everyone at the VMAs, I'm not so sure. Did she actually twerk on stage? Coulda sworn you had to have a big-girl butt to do it, but evidently not...
5. Hooves. That's right. I've done a LOT of thinking/research and talking about my horse's hooves lately. See, for the past month it's been so dry here in Minnesota, so I can't blame him entirely for his chipped nails :) Moving forward, however, he's getting Farriers' Formula supplements and a few times a week I've been giving him pedicures. Not really. I just slather his feet with Farriers Fix hoof oil.
   

Well, that's about it. Those of you who've read 'til the end (which isn't here yet) are probably thinking, "well no wonder why she doesn't blog – is this all there is going on in her life?" My answer to you is simple: "These days, yes."


*I realize this isn't a word. My husband and I find it funny to use it. And then we have to remember NOT to use it in real life. Like, in front of clients and stuff.

How Do We Feel About Google Carousel Results?

A couple days ago The Google moved its local search "carousel" to desktop computers (previously it was only showing up on tablets). While I think the overall concept is neat – when performing searches for local bars & restaurants, you get a carousel of images at the top of your SERP – it's also something that'll need to be fine-tuned and honed before people jump on board.

For example, in reading about a test of people trying it out for the first time (study done by Nifty Marketing), the term "Chicago restaurants" was chosen. If you watch even just the first video of the person seeing the carousel for the first time, she's confused as to what certain aspects of it mean – most notably the "number" system ("what does 27 mean?").

Also, I must say that the carousel "results" for Chicago restaurants look pretty good: nice, tidy, good-looking photos, etc.

Now, on the other hand...what if we do a search a tad closer to home? For example, "restaurants in Brooklyn Center MN" (it's on the brain since I have a family dinner up there tonight). Results in the Google carousel are...well, somewhat lacking:

Okay. So let's be more fair...I then did a search for bars in Minneapolis:

Hang on, wait. Why is there a photo of a SHOOTER in a list of restaurants???

What is going on here, Google? Why have you included this in your carousel for my restaurant search?

Well, because Nye's is a very popular Minneapolis bar. But, why is there a wretched, scary picture that makes me NOT want to go to Nye's....why?

Well, because that's the only picture on Nye's Polonaise Room's Google+ Page:

So, evidently we know two things: 

1. The photos within Google's local carousel results are pulled from Google+ pages. 
2. Nye's Polonaise Room either doesn't know it has a Google+ page, or would like to be known as a gangster bar.

I mean, you'd expect this type of thing to show up in some sort of search for New York City restaurants, but not Minneapolis :)

As to the question of what the numbers mean within the carousel listings: they're Zagat scores. The reviews are coming from Google reviews. We still don't know how The Google is choosing which restaurants to show in the carousel. I'm sure if this carousel bandwagon takes off we'll learn more about how Google's "ranking" the carousel results...but right now it doesn't seem to be by number of reviews or even Zagat score...and it's definitely not by judging the quality of the Google+ photos :)

All-Knowing Google? Or Coincidence?

One of my Facebook friends posted that they were located at Los Muertos beach in Puerto Vallarta (of course, having just come back home from there, I grew instantly jealous and happy at the same time).

It got me to thinking of how Los Muertos beach got its name – and I couldn't quite remember the details, so thought I'd look it up. Well, the one place I KNOW I've read of the history of this Puerto Vallarta beach is on my parents' condo website (on the History of Puerto Vallarta page, of course). I typed the website address directly into a new tab of my Chrome browser and navigated to said page to read about it (again).

Then I thought, I wonder what The Google will show me when I search for it? So I performed a search for "los muertos beach puerto vallarta."

After scrolling through the first page results I glanced down at the related searches list...and gasped:

"View ANOTHER Puerto Vallarta vacation condo rental" ??? How'd you know I was even looking at a vacation rental? A lot of times Google will throw in related search queries or "related to" items after you've already searched something, but in this case, I didn't search! 

Curious.

But, of course then I realized how Google knew: 

Even though I hadn't searched for a condo rental in Puerto Vallarta, what I'd done was opened up a new tab and typed the address to my parents' condo website in directly (yes, they rent it out); then when I "left" that website I typed Google directly into the address bar and performed a (related) search.

Now, here's the kicker – did Google really "know" where I'd been or is it just coincidence? I was signed into my Google account, after all...is Google more "aware" of what you're doing and therefore will show me more relevant material?

I tried the search again after signing out...I still get that "related to" list item, but I've never seen that verbiage before in the related searches area.

Mystery? Coincidence? Or does Google just really know THAT much about what we're thinking and what we're doing on the WWW?

War on Japanese Beetles

Last month I realized I had a major enemy: the Japanese beetle. Turns out I'm not the only gardener suffering  this summer from the onslaught of these little carapace-bearing monsters; Dick & Jane's plants were also afflicted.

While I've been trying to spray my plants with some sort of death-to-all-beetles chemicals, D&J went the organic route and put up a Japanese beetle trap. Evidently the dreadful bugs are attracted to pheromones and head into the trap to investigate, where they then remain trapped until Dick dumps them all into a freezer bag.


That's right, when the pheromone trap gets full, he puts all the living bugs into a heavy-duty Ziploc baggie and lays them out in the sun, where the greenhouse effect kills them within minutes. Die, you nasty bugs, DIE!!!

Sorry.

I don't like seeing any animal suffer...but there is a very, VERY warm & fuzzy feeling that washes over me at the demise of these hideous beetles that wreak so much havoc on my lovely deck garden. And I don't feel the least bit guilty about said feeling.

My neighbors realize my fascination with the abomination because now they've started calling me when they empty the trap: "we're killing another bag of beetles!" So I hurry over to watch the little suckers writhe and squirm 'til their demise.

Did I mention I do NOT like Japanese beetles?

Oh, and while I'm over in their "lawn," I just happen to hang out and invariably a Yappy Hour ensues. The dogs chew on sticks, chase tennis balls and in general entertain us (as the bugs lay dying. Faulkner, anyone?).


Little Coyote Bait has decided he doesn't want to drink out of the water bowl anymore; he prefers climbing up on the fountain to get a drink. He's a weird little dog.

Many times there are drinks involved over at Dick & Jane's; the most popular drinks-on-the-house are mimosas and bloody marys. Of course, on a hot day there's nothing like a cold, refreshing adult beverage to cool you off...and even the dogs benefit: we give them the leftover ice cubes, which they greedily gobble up.

Long story longer: I'm glad Dick & Jane have declared war on the evil Japanese beetle population in St. Paul. Not that I needed another excuse to wander over, but, you know...

Japanese Beetles In the Garden

This is my third year with a deck garden in Saint Paul, Minnesota. If you prefer the proper terminology, I'm an urban gardener. That is, I have a container garden. On my deck. In the suburb.

In previous years, I started out small – a ready-made pot of petunias and a few other plants and that was about it. Then, my gardening endeavor last year got pretty complex: I added more plants than the year before and I even grew herbs, which I used in my cooking. Whoa. Look out, Martha Stewart!


Well. You think last year was something special? This year, I was even more zealous...more plants, more pots, more types of foliage and I even added actual vegetables to the garden!

That's right, this year I'm not just growing basil, chives, cilantro and lettuce (like last year); this year I added green onions, cherry tomatoes, green peppers and green beans to the mix. Go big or go home, that's what Clint says. So that's what I did.

Well, everything was going swimmingly, 'til all of a sudden I noticed some of my leaves (on various plants) were looking a little holey and chewed.

Of course, I thought it was because I found snails in my container garden at the end of May. I tried to "trap" them with beer and even sifted through leaves, stems & soil every day for weeks trying to find the offending slugs...but I only caught and executed about 5 of the slimy things, so didn't think that was the reason I had holey leaves.

While I'd seen various bugs and beetles on the leaves here and there, I didn't think much of it...until this evening. I went out onto the deck to check on my lovely plants and lo and behold, there were beetles EVERYWHERE, especially on my zinnias.

These greenish, round little sh*ts were lolling on my erstwhile beautiful plants and I could see the utter desecration they'd wrought with their little beetle-y pincers...the evidence was writ plain to see on the leaves of my zinnias, daisies and even my CORN!

I was aghast...and I started slaughtering the beetles. No remorse, no "aww, they're just doing what they DO!" attitude; no, it was all cold-blooded smooshing. I must've gotten 15 of the wretched bugs before they started flying off.

After cleaning up the mess (and tossing the lifeless bodies into the trash) I Googled "garden beetles" and learned through Google Images that what's ruining my container garden is the Japanese beetle. Otherwise known as The Low-Life Beetle Which Shan't Be Allowed to Rule Here No More. 

I read up on them a bit, and it seems they're attracted to rotting/dying fruits...while I don't have any ripe fruit to speak of (yet), some of the flowers on the zinnia plant are well past their prime and could be responsible for attracting this hideous beetle.

Also, I learned that in killing the beetles on the plant, less beetles are likely to come because they give off some sort of "get it here" type pheromone that attracts more beetles. So, if there are less beetles to give off said pheromone, then it stands to reason less of them will show up.

Regardless, I shall be diligently checking each and every plant for the little bastards each and every evening (this is the only time I've ever seen so many of them on the plants at once...which could be due to the extremely hot weather, or the time of day – it was after 8pm – though I've yet to see this many beetles in one place before. 

War. War has been declared. 

We'll see who has the best strategy: the Japenese beetles or this container gardener! 

Snails in My Container Garden

Yesterday as I was diligently re-twining the tender new shoots of my vining black-eyed susan plants, I noticed something odd in the soil...

Upon closer inspection I realized what I was looking at was a small army of tiny snails!

Excited, I ran to get my camera, my macro lens, the Canon Life-Size Converter EF and the tripod and started shooting.

It was only upon the upload of these pictures that I decided to use The Google to see just what, exactly, snails could do to a garden. Could they, for example, be responsible for all my holey coleus leaves?

Turns out, they COULD.

DAMMIT!


Of course, after my "photo shoot" with these little slime balls I'd let them slip back into the recesses of the soil so I couldn't find them again...but I'm now on a mission to hunt, capture and "remove" these garden slugs entirely from all my flower containers. Whether they evoke a sense of "home" in me or not (hey, gimme a break: I grew up on a lake), they're BAD business for my urban garden!


I don't even have the heart to post photos of my poor, torn little leaves here...so instead I've opted to show you what's going well with my deck garden.

Of course, now some of the pots contain little containers full of beer – for the snails, of course – and since I haven't trapped anything yet there's nothing to report. But I'm still searching.

 You can run/slime, garden snails, but you can't hide...forever.

Yappy Hour with Hoy the Havanese

The other evening was a great "Yappy Hour" over at Dick & Jane's. Not only were there delicious mimosas (and these aren't your ordinary mimosas), but we had three dogs and four people in attendance.

One of my other neighbors wandered over with her dog (Hoy) to see what all the hooplah was about...she ended up staying for a mimosa and chit-chats – and then we saw her dog's special "toy" and that's when the cameras came out.

Get this: she's a farm girl from WAY down in south-western Minnesota, yet when she got her little Havanese dog a few years ago she learned her puppy really, REALLY liked this stuffed bunny she'd purchased for him at Target.

Well, when said bunny met its demise (as stuffed dog toys are wont to do after enough time has passed), her little dog was much chagrined, so she bought him a new one...which he promptly denounced as unworthy.

Since the little guy was so attached to the original Peter Rabbit, she had a great idea: merge the two stuffed animals so he'd "adopt" the new one. So she did...by sewing the head of the old rabbit on top of the head of the new rabbit.

This has evidently been going on for almost four years – and since they're currently in the midst of a merger, we got to see first-hand the creepiness that is Hoy's Bunny.

We had QUITE a few laughs and jokes about this really weird process and how ODD this toy is (plus, how she's changed her erstwhile country-girl style)...but Hoy's so darn cute we had to cut him some slack.

Meanwhile, in the background Gus relentlessly tried to get Zada's ball out of her mouth (in typical Yappy Hour style)...and she – in a never-ending show of infinite patience – allowed him to endlessly pester her.




It was a great Yappy Hour with three happy, panting dogs and lots of laughs.

Cairn Terrier Looks Like Nikki Sixx

The Neighbors have had their cairn terrier for about 8 months. Supposedly when they got him, he was two years old...which is a bunch of BS, since he is very much a puppy.

How can I tell? Well, he acts like a puppy, he gets crazy like a puppy, and since they've had him his hair continues to get longer and change color – which normally doesn't randomly happen to dogs no longer in the throes of puppydom. Anyway.

You might remember what he looked like back in March of this year when I talked about his new nickname (Coyote Bait on a Stick). He was shaggy then, but just a month later, his hair has gotten quite wild and crazy.

Like, Nikki Sixx crazy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Nikki Sixx's hair! I'm just saying I don't know if a cairn terrier should look like a punked-out rockstar.

His hair gets even more tousled and feral when Zada's been chewing on him – I think her saliva acts like a kind of gel – and it's even BETTER when I then take the opportunity to mold it into a sort of up-do.



See the resemblance? Might be time for a trim, Gus.




















*Nikki Sixx screenshot taken from http://temptu.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/temptu-on-nikki-six-of-motley-crue/

April Fools Weekend up North

Last weekend I headed up to the Bernier Ranch & Spa for a few days' worth of relaxation. I had also offered to help Mom clear out some of their built-in bookshelves upstairs in the loft...it seems they're re-modeling up there so Mom can have a proper office – albeit a small one – instead of the crammed nook she now uses.

Thing is, a lot of the books in that space are mine (which is why I offered to help her offload them, sort through them, and move them into new "homes" throughout the house), including darn near all of my college text books and notes. Why did I keep that, you might ask...well, 'cause my parents TOLD me to.

Even after I changed my major halfway through my junior year from biology to Spanish, I still had to keep all the biology, chemistry and math books. Just in case :)

See, Dad kept all HIS text books from college and med school...they've graced the book cases in our home from time immemorial. Mom's not crazy about having them on the shelves, but I think they need to keep them – I mean, at this point they're VINTAGE bordering on antique! (Sorry, Dad)

Naturally, when moving a copious amount of books from one location to another, one is forced to make room in the new area so that meant I finally had to go through the closet in my old bedroom and sift through the myriad boxes I had stowed away with all my...memorabilia.

(While all this is going on, we had "help" from the dogs who just HAD to chill on the cozy, sun-streaked carpet RIGHT where we were trying to work...such a ruff life :)

I was quite the collector when I was young (insert derisive snort and eye roll from my husband here) – I collected horse, dog and turtle statues; candles & their holders; knick-knacks & what's-its and of course, lots and lots of what Dad calls "crippy-crap."

It took me longer to go through all those boxes – unwrapping each little memento and re-living whatever memory was attached to it – and sorting them into piles of "keep" and "get rid of" than it did to help Mom empty all the bookshelves in the other room!

I ended up keeping SOME of the stuff...I mean, let's forget I hadn't seen it in YEARS. It was all very organized and labeled and of course so fun to sift through it all. Found some cute Christmas ornaments and gifts from relatives who'd traveled abroad so that was neat.

Anyway, between that chore and eating – Mom feeds me VERY well when I'm home – I got to pretend I was a country girl once again. That meant, of course, hiking with the dogs in the woods and horseback riding.

We have a horse show in Lindstrom next weekend, so I needed to get a horse between my legs and make my muscles "remember" what it's all about...doesn't hurt to practice a bit to get used to the horse, either. Of course, Will is pretty compliant but it's always nice to get on him before the show at least once.

So I headed out to Lonesome Dove Training Center two days in a row and worked myself into extreme muscle soreness. Felt good, though, plus we had beautiful weather on Sunday so it was pure joy to be outside in the sunshine working a horse and lathering up a sweat (PS: I'm just now not sore from riding last weekend...hopefully this show doesn't put me out of commission like it did last year :).

And then, of course, we mustn't forget the hiking. Through the woods, across the fields, down to the river, away we went – Zada, Tesa and me. Although I used to be an avid runner when I was younger and shunned merely "walking" anywhere at any cost, it is now my mode of refreshing my mind and getting rid of stress.

It's not merely the physical exercise I get, or even the beautiful nature I see...it's also the pure joy on those dogs' faces and in their bouncy gait – they absolutely LOVE being out and about and traveling with their humans. They're my constant companions on my walks when I'm back home and they're always ready to head out with me for a couple hours' hike.

When we get back to the house, they'll keep their energy level up, but like any over-tired kid, once they're brought into the house they conk out for a nice, long, well-deserved nap :)


Also while I was home I chatted quite a bit with Madge...and I asked if I could take some pictures of Callie, her rambunctious black lab. At first I had quite the time trying to get her to sit still, but then with the aid of a simple, soggy tennis ball I captivated her enough to get some quick snapshots.

She's so beautiful with her silky black coat and her bright eyes...but of course photographing black dogs is a bit tricky – you want to be able to see definition in their bodies and make sure their eyes stand out, but you also don't want them to end up looking blue, as is the wont of many black dogs in photographs.

For an impromptu half-hour photo shoot, I think Callie did very well and showed us what a pretty girl she is :) Get a sneak peek at more from her photo session here.

 I'll probably need to head up again at some point this spring to help Mom with the rest of the books – we didn't get done but we made a big dent in that nook – and by the time I can get there again the dock will most likely be out, and it'll be warmer yet. Regardless, it's always a great time up at the Bernier Ranch & Spa!

Snapshot of My Week

I don't have time to write much right now, since my tea is rapidly cooling and I have yet to lie down on the couch and watch TGWTDT. Yes, I know...I'm behind the times -- not only did I NOT see it in the theater, I didn't watch it the first day it came out on disc, either. Tsk.

Anyway, here's a quick snapshot of what I did this week:

1. Shot some new stuff (photography-wise).
2. Cleaned the house.
3. Took more pictures of Z.
4. Enjoyed the abnormal March Minnesota weather.
5. Optimized some websites.
6. Went out to eat with The Hubby.
7. Created a new PPC account.
8. Hung out with Mom.
9. Paid bills.
10. Chatted a LOT with Mom.
11. Ran some errands.
12. Got Olive an oil change.
13. Went out to eat with The Neighbors (owners of Coyote Bait on a Stick).
14. Decided I'll do nothing more this evening than watch The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (my to-do list will still be there tomorrow).

So that's about it. 

Oh, except for numerous walks and stick-throwing sessions with my ever-present companion, Z :) 

Coyote Bait on a Stick

(AKA "Gus")

But first, a little background...

Last summer the neighbors – the ones who give me drinks (like the oh-so-yummy smoretini) – got a dog. Correction, they SAVED a dog. You know, one of those rescue-type deals where everyone feels warm and fuzzy inside for not having purchased their canine companion from a nasty breeder (like I did).


So this snotty little Mister Warm & Fuzzy came into the neighborhood. No, for real, he was snotty – he had rabies or something. Just kidding, it was kennel cough. Either way, he was quarantined for a while. Anyway, so he's a black cairn terrier mix. You know, like Toto! Oh, and guess what? That was his name.




Well, of course most NORMAL people (read: more creative than neanderthals) don't appreciate dog names that are cliché. So the neighbors – let's call them "Dick and Jane" – decided to rename him "Gus." Because, honestly, who doesn't love a little shaggy dog with an old man's name?

(I forget what "Gus" is short for...I think originally it was August but they changed that. For some reason I find myself listening to Loreena McKennitt while I write so it has to do with something Scottish...)

I think Zada assumed he – Gus – would be just like our other small-dog neighbor (Hoy) who's scared of bigger dogs. Not so...this newcomer small dog has SASS. And proverbial balls the size of Kansas. He sees Z running towards him – a 70-pound bundle of lean muscle, sinew and wolf-like stance – and what does he do? Why, stands his ground and jumps up on her to say "hello!" when she gets close, of course!


Needless to say, she was a bit stymied. But, since that first meeting they've become fast friends...our "yappy hours" are now somewhat daily occurrences and I know both dogs love running around together. Z (ever the Fetching Queen) gets a little frustrated when Gus (a normal terror...I mean, terrier) doesn't play by the rules and steals her ball or stick and won't bring it back.

He's so concerned with the having of and the CHEWING of the stick that when I've tried to get it away from him he'll hang onto it even if I lift it into the air...dangling, suspended from only his teeth by a death grip that could put a bulldog to shame. (Pssssst: that's the "on-a-stick reference :) Also, when Z's running around with HER stick, Gus will invariably launch himself at it and in spite of her spinning efforts will acquire the tip of it and wind up chewing vigorously on his end while she resigns herself to holding it at perfect terror – I mean terrier – height for him.

Okay. So on to the meat and potatoes of this random story: Gus has become coyote bait. Literally.


What? We live in St. Paul, Minnesota. "How on EARTH could a cairn terrier mix come into contact with a coyote?" you ask. Simple. It's Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom behind Dick and Jane's town home (they have The Corner Lot next to The Woods). They've got it all: squirrels, song birds of all varieties, rabbits, ducks, deer, turkeys and recently...a coyote.

No lie. This coyote has been sighted by several people in our town home complex...but never before (since I've lived here, anyway) has the Canis latrans been spotted so frequently or so CLOSE to Dick and Jane's house as in the past couple of months.

Last week I was getting ready to go to work and Zada barked – yes, barked! – out the window. I assumed Gus was out and she wanted to join him, but nevertheless I looked out the window and to my utter surprise saw a coyote standing plain as day on the edge of the woods across the road. Right THERE. In broad daylight.


It seems our very own Wile E. has formed some sort of hunting ground/territory that encompasses our small patch of St. Paul and he likes to make his daily rounds. Of course, now that Dick and Jane have Gus this poses somewhat of a problem. Kind of like a fast-food problem.

See, they like to tie Gus outside on his tie-out so he can partake of the outdoors and get some fresh air. Nowadays this is sort of worrisome to them since, you know, there's a coyote around and according to Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge): "Urban populations of coyotes have been known to actively hunt cats, and to leap shorter fences to take small dogs. In particularly bold urban packs, coyotes have also been reported to shadow human joggers or larger dogs, and even to take small dogs while the dog is still on a leash."

Yikes.

So they've been keeping a close eye on Gussy while he's staked out but this evening at yappy hour Jane told me a scary story. This morning while Gus was tied out, Jane heard him barking. Not his normal, happy-go-lucky yapping, either. She said this was a "warning bark." She rushed to the patio door and saw her little Toto – sorry, GUS – standing at the edge of their patio, barking madly at a coyote that was less than 20 feet away. Not only was said coyote that close; he was slouching in for a little snack...Gus.

My brave Roadrunner whipped open the patio door and clapped her hands frantically, which sent Wile E. shooting off into the cover of the woods...Gus was safe.

Scarily, this is a real threat to little Gussy (aka Coyote Bait on a Stick). I'm not a small-dog person but damn, he is CUTE and he's so chock-full of attitude and energy you have to love him. When I told the story to Clint, he said maybe Dick and Jane should call someone about "re-locating" the coyote. I think he's right. At this point, it's not cool to see a wild canine that close...namely when it's stalking your pooch. Plus, we don't really want to put our names on the waiting list at the Great Minnesota Get-Together for a new creation.

Seriously, and all jesting aside, I think it's time for Mr. Coyote to find a new home. I mean, how can I stand thinking my favorite furry neighbor could come to harm???