Memories

The Closet (The Coat)

I had though that the season change was off to an auspicious start when I was able to repair a purse for under $0.50.  Surely this was a sign of good things to come!  Not.

A quick perusal of other Winter gear showed a coat with definite cold spots.  OK, it is at least 12 or 13 years old.  Surely I could at least think about possibly finding a new one?  Maybe one with a hood?

Thinking is about as far as you can go these days about new things.  With all of the talk I hear about the flourishing economy and American-made pride, I thought I would be overwhelmed with great choices.  Choices yes, but certainly not great ones.

Anyone who lives up north knows the value of a warm coat.  Sadly now I do too.  It is approximately a mortgage payment.  I had always been lucky enough to find something at an outlet store, but there don’t seem to be any around here anymore.

A check online showed that not only are coats super expensive, but for some reason every manufacturer has decided that current coats must a) be very form-fitting and b) have a zippered turtleneck.  Models demonstrate the coats’ attributes while wearing stilettos and nothing else.  Really?  Are we supposed to be wearing our down coats over cocktail dresses?  What happened to dressing in layers?  How are you supposed to fit a wool sweater under one of those?  I find this level of stupidity very frustrating.

And then there’s zippered turtlenecks.  That is all you can find.  I loathe zippered turtlenecks.  They catch on your hair.  They catch on your earrings.  They constantly poke you in the face.  Seriously?  No one could think to buck the trend and place a zipper to the collar bone then a snap-closed insulated collar?  Even if I could afford a coat I would either have to hate it as-is or commit surgery and void its warranty.

So, my unfortunate puppies are closet orphans for another week as I try to once again fix what I have.  Toby enjoys going through my fabric bin with me and pulling out different insulators trying to find something to help.  If I can’t find anything, maybe I’ll just stuff him in there.  After all, my boys are always bragging about how warm their fur is.

Cairn terrier pup standing in snow.

My fur is warm.  N’yah, n’yah, n’yah!

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Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Poopiter!

  Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Available at Amazon.  Makes a great holiday gift!

 

 

 

 

 

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What I Did Today (No Good Deed)

I voted

Like millions of Americans, I went to the polls and voted.  At the sign in table was a pile of little “I Voted” stickers.  I asked if I could have one, then happily brought it home after my task was complete….happily until I watched the news, that is.  On the plus side, voter turn out is higher for a midterm election than possibly any year before.  On the minus side, the news had to do a story about municipalities refusing to offer stickers because of the tremendous cost to the budget.

Thanks for sucking the fun out of my sticker.

(In case you were wondering, Bitey and Toby did go along with me to the polls.  They weren’t the only dogs to show up either.  Did they vote Repawblican or Dogmacrat?  They didn’t tell.  Dogs are good at keeping their secrets.)

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If you would like to read more about Bitey and Toby’s adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter!

Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Poopiter is available at Amazon and would make a great gift for the dog lover in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

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Shadow Games

When I started Bitey Dog, it was really just a way for me to capture special memories of my boy.  This post is one of those.

Carn terrier puppy hiding under a chair.

I played just like when I was a puppy!

Geordie has always loved chasing flashlight beams.  He will run himself to the point of exhaustion barking at full volume while chasing the light all over the house.  In bad weather, it was a nice cheating way to exercise my boy.

For some reason, Toby does not see the light as something to be chased…but Geordie is.  Toby knows that if Geordie goes on a run-and-bark tare, he will be yelled at.  Toby can’t stand raised voices or angry family, so he does his best to keep Geordie in check.  As Geordie sprints by, Toby will reach over and chomp him on the butt.

When Toby’s tennis ball rolled under the furniture and I needed the flashlight to find it, Geordie insisted on a game.  In spite of being sick, I had him running, barking and jumping all over the place just like when he was a puppy.  Toby got in just as much exercise chasing Geordie and trying to bite him.

It was just a little game, but it was so nice to see that  my Geordie still has the energy to run and play.  It helps me to remember that he will always be that crazy ball of fluff both in this world and the next.

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To share some of Bitey and Toby’s other adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Poopiter is available from Amazon.  Start thinking early about Christmas gifts!

 

 

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Not Cool, Mom!

Sketch of Cairn terrier dog.

Seriously, you chose this picture?!?

When Geordie saw the picture of Toby I posted on the blog, he insisted that I put a picture of him up next.  For some reason he is unhappy about this one.

This is a draft of one of the pictures in his (and Toby’s.  Don’t tell him Toby is in the book too) next book.  Although I have been working on it for a year, it feels like I am never going to get done.

This book is filled with so many memories for me.  It has also been a great opportunity for me to learn more about working with digital media.  At the rate I am going, though, I will die of oldness long before I ever get done.

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To read some of Bitey and Toby’s already finished adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Poopiter is available at Amazon.  It would make a great Christmas gift for the dog lover in your life!

 

 

 

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Halloween Memories

001 - Copy (2) - CopyWe all know who did it.  The guy in the middle.

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Bwaah!  Too much partying last night!

003 - Copy

“Awwoo!  I hate spiders!”    (“And I’m none too fond of wolves.”)

003 - Copy (3)

I don’t know why no one comes to visit.

003 - Copy (4)

Come a little closer, dearies….

Back when it was just Geordie and me, we used to carve pumpkins together.

Geordie and the Pumpkin 1

He would climb inside the pumpkins as I would try to work and try to eat them from the inside out.    Since Toby has come along, things have been too chaotic to try any holiday decorating.  I feel bad that my little guy hasn’t had a chance to climb inside his own pumpkin.

If only he were Peter, Peter Pumpkin-Eater’s dog….

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No Good Deed

I have been trying to be responsible this Summer and keep up with my garden as tasks arise.  On Thursday I was doing my best to to be a good steward and pick beets to can.  I wanted to make sure none of the precious food went to waste.  And what was the reward for my efforts?

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Some stupid bug came along and bit/stung me on the eye!  Is this dampening my enthusiasm for further gardening?  You betcha.

Little Cairn Terrier smiles for the camera.

Ha! Mom, you look like Popeye!

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Come visit with the boys on their adventures in Poopiter!

(Watch them laugh at my misery.)

 

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How Do You Live With A Dog On Steroids?

A tired woman brushes her itchy dog at night.

Last week Geordie had an appointment with the vet, and she gave him steroids to help with the full-body itchies he gets at this time of year.  I thought this would be a great thing – my boy would finally stop nagging me because he was miserable and didn’t know what to do about it.  Maybe we could both get some sleep!

And yet, no.  Instead we have substituted one misery for another.  The steroids have given Geordie an appetite beyond belief.  He spends all day squeaking at me to give him  biscuits.  He’ll take kibble or table food, but he wants biscuits.  Milk Bones, Liva’ Snaps, Marrow Bones…it doesn’t matter.  He’ll eat them all.  Literally.

An unexpected side effect from Geordie’s steroids is that Toby is gaining weight.  Why?  Is he getting into Geordie’s meds?  No, but every time I feed Geordie, I need to give Toby something to preserve equity in the house.  Even if I only give Toby one piece of kibble, Geordie eats so often that my little Toby has turned into a butterball.  Today I made him go for a long walk around the neighborhood until he flopped down on the pavement in surrender.  We’re going to need a lot of those before the weight comes off.

Fat dog thinks angry thoughts.

Whatchoo talking’ ’bout?  I’m not fat!

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Things I Learned on the Gutchie Hunt

I haven’t been to a department store for undies in a long time, and I am amazed at how high the cost has become!  I am used to a week’s worth of underwear costing around $10, but at the mall, be prepared to spend $75-80.  Ouch.  At those prices, you can’t afford to have a laundry accident.

Also a surprise was the styles.  I haven’t seen such an assortment of boring, conservative gutchies since the 1800s.  For some reason pantie waist lines keep going up while pant waist lines remain mostly low.  I thought that the “undies-sticking-out-of-your-jeans” look was more for young men trying to look tough.  On little old ladies it does not impress.

On a related note, I walked past a mannequin wearing jeans with a huge tag announcing them as “Mom Jeans”.  Oh thank heavens!  For the young, you might not know yet how wonderful these things can be, but they truly deserve a place in the closet.  They are generally made of bottomweight denim and come up to your natural waist.  They are loose and comfortable and are great for when you need to do real work, not to look sexy.  Landscaping, shoveling snow, walking dogs, relaxing at home by yourself…all such great times for warm, comfy pants!  Perhaps underwear designers are expecting a boom to the Mom jeans market and that is why they are making such a plethora of giant grandma thunder panties.

This might come as a disappointment to a section of the market I hadn’t previously considered.  While looking online to check the quality of different brands, I saw a considerable number men reviewing ladies’ panties.   I am not sure if bloomers are going to provide them with what they are looking for, though.  There’s not much support to them, and if you want them to make you feel femimine, they don’t.

Two Cairn terrier brothers turn their backs to the camera as Mom tries to take a picture.

Mom, this is soooo boring!  Call us when you’re done complaining about underwear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Semper Ubi Sub Ubi, Revisited

Cairn terrier sleeping upside down in undignified pose.Ignore the vest, Mummy.  Let it all hang out!

If you read A Tired Mommy Is A Good Mommy, you will recognize just how important gutchies can be to me. Today I had one of the most disappointing things that could happen to a woman happen:  I found out that my favorite underwear has been discontinued.  If you are a lady, you know how concerning this can be.  Without the right style, not only can you wind up with endless wedgies, but your confidence in your appearance can suffer (and mosquitoes can bite your exposed privates if you go commando!).

Toby and Geordie tried to convince me that living sky clad was the only way to go.  I merely had to remind them of the Lady Godiva incident for them to hush and skulk off to another room.

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