Volunteering at the Humane Society

Last month I decided to become a volunteer at the Kitsap Humane Society.  I've gone through extensive training, and now I am a Dog Walker and Cat Cuddler.  Yes, those are official titles.  Walking those dogs is not an easy task. The dogs are so eager to get out and stretch their legs and go potty that they drag you everywhere.  My first time Dog Walking I could hardly move the next day.  But I'm getting better at it, especially now that I've learned to alternate the "pullers" with the easy-to-walk dogs (of which there are few).

I'm really impressed by the Kitsap H.S. objectives.  They care deeply for the dogs and cats in their care.  They do all in their power to rehabilitate "bad" dogs and turn them into good canine citizens.  They only euthanize animals that are so ill they cannot be cured, or if the dog is so vicious it cannot be trained. 

Many of their animals have been there for over a year, so these walks in the woods for the dogs and petting and lap time for the cats are the brightest spot in their day.  And we don't just walk the dogs.  We train them.  They invest a lot of time in making the dogs adoptable.  Almost all the training is done by volunteers who have gone through considerable training themselves.  I used to show dogs, so I have a background in dog training already.  But training methods have changed in the 30 years since I showed dogs. Everything is positive reinforcement.  No dogs are punished. It's remarkable how well the dogs respond to positive reinforcement.

Since 85% of the dogs at KHS are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, training is important.  They're one of the few humane societies in our area that accept pit bulls.  Other humane societies send us their pit bulls, and we live in an area with a high pit bull population, so training is doubly important for these dogs.  KPS has a Great Eight program, where dogs that have been there for more than 8 months have their adoption fee cut in half.  They also have asimilar Nine Lives program for their long-term cats.  In addition, these long-time residents get to go home with volunteers for short "vacations" so that they get a break from cage life. 

I'm feeling very good about the work I'm doing with KHS.  It's rewarding.  And everyone rejoices when a dog or cat gets adopted.  Now, if we could just educate the public on the importance of neutering and spaying, there wouldn't be a need for humane societies . . .

Blue Eye/Brown Eye

The other day I bought new eyeshadow.  It said it was for blue eyes, and it had 3 colors:  brown, gray/blue, and silver.  You're supposed to get all fancy and layer them artistically.  I don't.  I slap on one color, use eyeliner and a dash of mascara, and call it good. 

So what color would I use of the three?  Certainly not the silver.  That was for highlighting under the arch of the eyebrow.  Brown?  Perhaps.  To see, I did up one eye in brown.  But what about the gray?  I did up the other eye in the gray eyeshadow, which actually turned kind of a blue/gray once it was on my eyelid.  I couldn't decide which eyeshadow I liked best, so I decided to do some chores around the house and think about it.  And of course I promptly forgot I was wearing two starkly different colors on my eyes.

So naturally I went shopping like that.  Ran errands here and there, and it wasn't until I got home and happened to glance at myself in the bathroom mirror that I realized why people had been giving me odd looks.  I felt like a Siberian Husky with one brown eye and one blue.  I love getting old and senile.

Dressmaker's Dummy

I had a blast at my sister's yesterday!  After our Easter dinner, my sister Lori helped me make a dress-maker's dummy for myself.  The materials included 3 rolls of duct tape (2 silver and 1 white), plus an old T-shirt.  The process involved my donning the old T-shirt and then having Lori cover my torso in several layers of duct tape.  That's the piebald finished product above.  You can see the hemline of the T-shirt at the bottom.  You can't tell in the picture, but it's like wearing a body cast.  I could barely move, and I certainly couldn't bend at the waist or raise my arms. Oh, how we laughed as we applied layer upon layer of tape while my brother-in-law just shook his head.  And hot?  My gosh, I got so hot inside my duct tape prison that we had to finish the job outdoors on my sister's cold and breezy back deck.

I found the duct tape idea on the Internet when I was pricing dressmaker's dummies and discovered they were beyond my budget.  I printed out the instructions, and then Lori taped me from my neck down to upper thigh.  It took about 2 hours, and thank goodness I had enough presence of mind to visit the bathroom before we started!  Once finished, Lori used a sturdy pair of scissors to cut the back open along the spine, from neck to butt.  I carefully pulled the form off my body and was thrilled to see that it maintained my plump little dumpling shape.  *g*

I'd been fortunate enough to find the torso of a male mannequin at Goodwill the week before, so I bought it, figuring once I made my duct tape dummy and wriggled out of it, I could place it over the store mannequin torso, tape up the back, and then pad it out with wadded up paper and plastic bags.  It worked perfectly, and I'm amazed at how sturdy my new dressmaker's dummy is!  Now, instead of having to put on a garment dozens of times as I make it, then struggling back out of it without getting stuck by pins, I can use my new dressmaker's dummy!  And all it cost me was the price of a few rolls of duct tape  and a few hours of my time.  Here's the dummy after I stuffed it with tons of plastic bags and a few old towels. 

The Laws of Decency

This post is about people who say, "I hate rules."  (Often said in a superior, I'm so important I don't have to follow rules tone)  I'm a traditionalist, and I usually follow rules.  I believe most rules have a reason for being, and most often those reasons are based on sound concepts.  There are grammar and punctuation rules.  Traffic rules.  Mathematics rules.  Construction and architecture rules. And many more rules too numerous to mention.  These rules provide sound guidance.  They are there for our safety (construction architecture, traffic, instruction manuals), for clear communication and expression of ideas (grammar, punctuation), for calculation, accounting, inventory (mathematics) and so on.

Yes, many of our greatest advancements have been made because someone chose to ignore the rules and do it their way.  Humanitarian advancements have been made because someone ignored the rules and pushed for change.  Think women's right to vote, or Civil Rights.

But rules have their place, and those who whine about hating rules get no sympathy from me.  And in this case, I'm not talking about arbitrary or just plain stupid rules, and I'm not even talking about the above-mentioned rules.  I'm talking about the most basic social rules that govern our lives and how we interact with others.  In other words, decency.  Like not running a red light.  Like waiting your turn.  Like saying please and thank you.  Like showing up on time.  Like respecting the rights of others.  Like being honest.

I wonder what happened.  I wonder why kids growing up today seem to lack a conscience.  I wonder about their parents, who never taught them the basic principles of social conduct.  I wonder why 8-year-old boys are raping 7-year-old girls.  I wonder why 12-year-old kids gang up on a schoolmate and kill him because he's different.  I wonder why a 15-year-old girl suffocates her newborn and puts it in the dumpster.  I wonder why a group of 14-year-old boys kill an innocent jogger by stomping him to death.

I wonder. 

And I worry.

Life on the Fly

Stopping in at a dead run to say hi.  It's been crazy busy around here.  I had major furnace work done last week, and it wasn't cheap.  The plumbers were also out last week and fixed myriad plumbing problems.  That's my old-fashioned toilet on the left.  They had to rebuild it.  And below that is the other part of my bathroom.  Now the faucets no longer leak, nor the sinks, either.  Gone with the buckets under the sinks!

This week I've been crawling over electricians every time I turn around.  I guess it was worth it.  One of them said, "It's a miracle your house didn't burn down."  Now I can get rid of all the extension cords that my microwave, fridge, washing machine, lamps, etc. were plugged into because half the outlets in the house had quit working. 

I'm still washing dishes in the bathroom sink, which is a major pain, but it'll be a few more weeks before I can afford to have the septic people out to fix one of the septic systems so that my kitchen sink will be useable once again. 

No, that wasn't a typo.  Septic systems, as in two.  The people who built my house eons ago must have had plans to convert it into a two-family dwelling at one time.  Upstairs I have one septic system.  Downstairs, I have another.  It's a daylight basement that I converted to an apartment years ago, but quit renting it out when the septic system for the apartment began acting up.  Little did I know that the upstairs kitchen sink drained into the downstairs septic.  And when that failed, all that dirty dishwater began flooding the apartment downstairs.  I didn't know this, as I seldom go downstairs.  When I discovered the flooding, I was sick.  Brand new carpeting ruined.  Everything musty.  It's heartbreaking.

So Thursday I have a neighbor kid coming over to help me tear out the carpet and begin the process of drying out.  In the meantime, I'm up to my ears in work, and really can't spare the time for such nonsense. 

So to all 2 of my loyal followers, I may not be dropping in as much as I'd like to.  At least for the next month or so, while I deal with a gazillion old house issues.  Ahhhh, the joys of sinking my life's savings into a 100-year-old house!

Harbingers of Spring

The pussywillows have run their cycle and are at the ugly-fuzzy-yellow-pollen-almost-a-leaf stage.   The forsythia is in full yellow riot.  My quince bush is in the tight bud phase, ready to burst forth with myriad pink flowers.  And the lilacs are beginning to leaf out.

The crabgrass in the gravel driveway has begun to grow like the weed it is. The moss on trees and fenceposts has turned a violent green.  Trees are sending up suckers like shooting stars.  And the birds are getting noisier and noisier as the boys practice their rusty mating calls.  And the other day I saw a robin fly by with nest-building material in its mouth.

I am so ready for spring!  These signs of greenery and new life are glad tidings to my winter-weary heart!

Got an Itch?

I've finally discovered a way to wear a bra without suffering from the intense itching that usually occurs within minutes of donning said undergarment:  wear it inside out.  As I have long suspected, it is the thread or the material used to line the inside of the bra that causes the itching.  The itching annoys me so much that I quit wearing bras around the house 5 years ago.  Well, today I had to run errands, so I tried something new and turned the bra inside out.  Voila!  No more intense itching!  The only problem is, this works fine for bulky sweaters, sweatshirts, and blouses with a pattern, but if you wear a smooth, solid colored top, you can see the bra seams.

Why don't manufacturers get a clue? Skin is sensitive.  The smooth part of undergarments should go toward the skin, and the seams should be on the outside.  If the seams are likely to show through outer garments, then cover them!  But for heaven's sake, stop using scratchy thread and itchy lining and scratchy seams!

Cat Pictures

A couple of days ago I notice my cat, Christopher the Assassin, sitting on a tree stump in the yard.  I grabbed my camera and ran out to take a few pictures of him.  He has the prettiest green eyes, and they showed to perfection in the photos.  After the photo shoot, he came in and joined me at my desk, where he has a bed.  He likes to keep me company while I'm on the computer.  The first picture shows him just about ready to fall asleep.  The second picture is Christopher sitting on the tree stump. (If you click on the pictures, you'll get a larger image)

Can Spring Be Far Away?

There's pussywillows out there in the woods.  I just know it.  Spring is just around the corner.  And the pussywillows are out.

How do I know it?  Because of all the mewling in the trees.  It's not cats stuck up there.  It's pussywillows.  And that means spring isn't far off, despite what Punxsutawney Phil says.  Six more weeks of winter?  Bah!  Gimme some sunshine!

And pussywillows, which I adore. 

Calamity Jane Rides Again

Yesterday was not a good day.  I forgot that my 2009 Washington State business taxes were due today, so I raced around getting all my tax stuff together and completing the tedious paperwork--only to find out that I made so little money last year that the state said I don't even have to file a return! I don't know if I'm relieved or depressed.

Later that day I fixed my hair, as I had a meeting to go to. I grabbed what I thought was a can of hairspray to give my hair a good shellacking, only to discover I'd sprayed WD-40 on my hair instead of hairspray (the cans look similar). I'd used the WD-40 to grease up the shower curtain rod earlier, and it was still on the bathroom counter.

It was too late to wash my hair, so I splashed on some cologne, hoping to disguise the WD-40 smell, and jumped into the car and headed for Tacoma for the Adobe Users' Group meeting. When I got there, the building was dark and nobody was there. What the . . .?

That's when I realized the meeting wasn't until next Monday. I hadn't wanted to get all dressed up and go out on a dark and cold night in the first place, and then to realize I'd done it all for naught. Oh well. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Overnight Soft Herb Rolls

This is one of the best dinner rolls I've ever tasted.  They are a heavy roll, hearty, tasty, and unique.  The recipe is from the November 2008 issue of Sunset Magazine.  The rolls are the brainchild of Chef Bradley Ogden, who created them at the Lark Creek Inn, Larkspur, California, in 1995. You can use fresh herbs or dried, but if using dried, use slightly less, since the flavor will be stronger.  The rolls are much better with fresh herbs, though.

The recipe calls for 15 minutes of kneading, and I followed the recipe religiously the first time I made them, kneading for 15 interminable minutes.  But the second time (tonight), I decided to see what would happen if I only kneaded for 5 minutes.  Also, this time, I refrigerated them.  I'll bake them tomorrow morning, and will let you know the results, but I expect the kneading (or lack thereof) won't make a noticeable difference.  Either way, I'll update  this post with the results after I bake them tomorrow.  (UPDATE:  Surprisingly, the rolls raised a little in the fridge overnight.  After taking them out of the fridge, I let them rise on the kitchen counter for an hour. Then I brushed them with egg and sprinkled them with coarse sea salt and popped them in the oven. They came out just fine.  The shortened kneading time doesn't seem to have made a difference.  I think you could also use a bread machine for the kneading.)

Overnight Soft Herb Rolls

1 pkg active dry yeast (about 1 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp each flat-leaf parsley, fresh dill, chives, & rosemary
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 large egg
1 c milk or half-and-half
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp lightly beaten egg
About 1 Tbsp coarse salt

1.  In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/4 c. cool (70 degrees) water.  Let stand until dissolved, 5 minutes.  Stir in sugar, table salt, herbs, butter, 1 whole egg, and milk.  Add 3 1/4 c. flour and stir to moisten.

2.  Knead dough on a lightly floured board until elastic and not sticky, 15 minutes.  Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.  Shape into 12 equal balls.  Place in a well-buttered 9x13" pan.

3.  Let dough rise in warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.  Brush rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt.  Bake until deep golden, 25-30 minutes.

Make ahead:  Prepare through step 2.  Immediately wrap airtight (do not let rise) and chill up to 1 day.  Proceed with step 3.

Who Loves Ya, Baby!

I was playing around with my camera a couple of days ago, taking pictures of myself to fool around with in Photoshop.  It's hard to take a picture of yourself.  I kept getting my eyes and the top of my head, or my chin and chest.  I was being silly and making faces.  These are two of my favorites.  They make me laugh every time I look at them.

SNARL!

GIGGLE!

Christmas Newsletter!

I'm working on my Christmas newsletter.  Yes, I know.  Christmas is done, but my newsletter isn't.  You see, I write BIG newsletters.  As in huge.  As in 18 pages.  My annual letter has been 18 pages for years, and for some peculiar reason, people actually read the thing.  Not only that, I get new people every year begging to be on my mailing list.  Go figure. 

But I do try to make it appealing to the eye, and chock full of amusing stories.  That's my life--one big amusing thing after another.  I'm serious about that.  My life is funny, and funny things happen to me.  So I like to share.  But these newsletters take months to produce.  I got a bit behind recently, and never mailed out a 2007 one.  So I decided to combine it with 2008.  I worked on it some more, and soon Christmas 2008 had come and gone.  Sooooo . . .

I'm putting the finishing touches on my gargantuan 2007/08/09 Christmas newsletter.  I hope to have it out by Valentine's Day.  *g*  In the meantime, I have to cut many, many pages, because I'm over my self-imposed 18-page limit by 12 pages.  Yes, it's 30 pages long.  I've managed to cut 5 pages tonight and gotten it down to 25 pages, but I'm still cutting.  So many good stories on the cutting room floor!  But if I go over 18 pages, the postage goes up.  If you're on my mailing list, you will eventually get the Christmas newsletter. 

Maybe by Valentine's Day.

Mom! The Cat Wants In--Again!

A week or so ago I posted a picture of Asterisk, my Boxer, standing at the slider, with my cat, Christopher the Assassin, on the other side of the slider.  I hung a bell on the handle of the slider, and trained Asterisk to ring the bell when she wanted to go outside.  Asterisk has taken it a step farther, and trained herself to ring the bell when she sees the cat at the door wanting in.  Here's another picture of her, doing just that.  I snapped the picture just after she rang the bell.

Mug Shot

This is just a short post to share a picture of my dogs, Nova (Doberman) and Asterisk (Boxer).  I took the picture yesterday and it makes me laugh every time I look at it.  This is a typical picture of them.  Whenever I'm in my recliner, they plop their heads on the arm and give me these pitiful, soulful looks.  It's really quite pathetic. *g*