Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thanksgiving Belly Rubs

I discovered Thanksgiving is also about tummy rubs.... and slide shows! Lots of gentle pats from Ann, Kristen and the girls. Hmmmm. Aren't gentle belly rubs on a full stomach simply the best? Especially when the entire family is all together in one room. With me!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Neighbors Abuzz

Quite a collection of people outside a house nearby during my big walk of the day. Two bird books and two human families trying to figure things out. A sharp-shinned hawk seemed to be having some trouble. It was perched on a box all morning long in someone's backyard, then appeared on this SUV. The people were surprised they could get within four feet of the bird. No bird band on either leg. Alice thinks it may have gotten too cold over the past two nights since they've been the first freezing nights this season. Or maybe a common cold? An injured wing?
The people will call the local wildlife rescue to see what to do.
So. Watch out all you squirrels and pigeons. A hawk is around the neighborhood again.
I bet that hawk couldn't take down a full size turkey.... But my human step-sister Jeannie can!!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Day Before Thanksgiving

I just received word my furry pug relative, Pika, might be missing out on an Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. I hope it's not true. It would be a tragedy beyond words. Not even leftovers?!
Alice got the ingredients for her cranberry chutney tonight. Maybe she might cook it before 4AM as she often does this time of year. Many times she's gotton on airliners with warm chutney in her carry on luggage. She knows I don't like it. Not at all. So, she got me some thinly sliced roast beef as a treat since I had to wait in the car so long while she shopped.
The lady before her in the check stand had lots of leeks - "For a soup!" - Martinellis' sparkling apple juice, wine, and three bakery boxes; and the couple behind her had stuffing croutons, celery, russet potatoes and some candies. Big discussion in the checkout line about the "People" magainze cover saying Mr. Damon is the sexiest man alive. None in the line agreed with that. (Especially those with their husbands in line with them!)
The checkout lady said this is the biggest day of the year for the grocery store. A few people had big white boxes in their carts: T-day in a box. One lady at the deli could not believe they'd run out of gravy. But, really, Alice, thought, homemade gravy is better. Always.
Lines and line and lines. It was after 5PM, so everyone was ready for the holiday to start. Smiles everywhere. Happy not to be in lines at airports, I suspect. Thinking of familiy and friends for tomorrow.
Oh! The dogs and cats will be happy tomorrow with the roasting smells and the handouts!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Monday, November 19, 2007

On Being a Zen Master

Here I am yesterday. Watching. Waiting. Thinking. Occassionally ESPing with the rest of dogdom. Hmmm. California in late Fall. Blue skies. Palm trees. My fur coat getting thicker. Sidewalk cement getting colder. Hmmmm. I think I will press the emergency flashers of the car with my paw. That's always good for getting attention. But I'll wait to do that until Alice comes back. That's was real Zen Masters do.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

A Goodbye to Ed

Alice can't recall the last time she went to a memorial service where the Quiet Birdmen did not one but two missing man flyovers. Right on time and right on target. 250+ watching below. The overwhelming majority pilots themselves.

In the memorial program, there was a blurb about how "When not flying, Ed could be found fixing cars and airplanes, riding motorcycles, running marathons, and pestering his cats." Alice was a bit worried. Was Ed mean to cats? Not to worry. There was a photo of him at the reception with some kitty cats vying to get into his lap. And lots of his flying patches, too. (So... what was Deborah?!) And that haunted look he had as a Pan Am pilot right after he got back from Viet Nam. Ed did not ever sweat the small stuff.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

News from Holland

Alice had word today that Frank's Jag has been fixed up and given as a present to the wife of the restorer on November 14, 2007!! Here it is with its happy new owner -- complete with a gold bow on the windshield. So! The Jag will roar again along the roads of the Low Countries as it did in Spring of 1960. Maybe it will get back to the Swiss Alps or even Scotland again?! Maybe one day back to the California Sierra Nevada mountains which Frank loved so much? Who knows!!!

I'm wondering if they have any dogs who will sit where I used to sit on the back seat or on the lap of the front passenger. It's a great car for dogs. Little triangular front seat windows to have exactly the right amount of wind in one's face. All natural materials and smells inside. Hmmmm. Wood, leather and nice carpet. No nasty plastics outgasing. A solid, quality experience everytime one gets into that car.

I know some cars and stuffed toys have souls. That Jag's soul is a happy Zen Master who's been places and will keep going to places over many different life times.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Ernie's Menu for Thanksgiving

Oh, to be young when everything is new....

Ernie's people are gearing up for Thanksgiving. One wants Strict Traditional. Another is thinking maybe ham.

Ham?

On Thanksgiving?

On no. Turkey is a Blessing from the Gods. Hours and hours of roasting anticipation. Homemade gravy. Days and days of leftovers.

Last year, I had Turkey day with Jane's family. I met her Mom for the first time as she tended a turkey in her kitchen. Need I say I fell in love with her on first sniff?! This year, Alice is likely to be roasting the bird...

Ernie: you will get a lovely bit of turkey. I know it in my bones. You are an American. It is required. EVERYONE gets some. And, I mean everyone. No one goes hungry that day and no one is alone. The best day of the year in my opinion.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Ed


Alice has been sitting at her computer a long time this afternoon. She hasn't been on a computer in a few days thanks to helping a human family member recover from surgery.
She sat there reading an e-mail that floored her. Quietly, she said, "No!" She'd just learned a flying friend had died on a mountain in Nevada. Ed.
She's crying now writing this. It's just too sad for words. Ed was one of the very best pilots she has ever known. He's seen it all.
Alice met him after a messy search mission ten years ago. He helped to clean up the mess. He also taught her things don't always go smoothly.... sometimes a real disaster needs to happen to clean house. Many times they sat together at big meetings chit chatting quietly with candid opinions about various people...
He knew a lot about life. Good things and bad. In Viet Nam, he saw US Army Colonel Hackworth slug on the face another US military officer for complete incompentence which had caused many needless deaths.
He also was someone who could fly anything. It sticks in Alice's mind one phone call a few years ago from Ed talking about flying a glider for NASA for sound tests of a very fast moving test plane. The calm joy in his voice. And telling her about flying the NASA DC-8 all over the world from "Kwaj" to the Artic Circle in Sweden. And the many times he flew the DC-8's AirSAR at her request on missing aircraft missions when the NASA schedule allowed.
Ed. A true pilot of the sky and of life.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Five Guys and a Gal

This photo of five bucks and a doe is going around the Internet as an example of why trampolines are dangerous to humans. But instead it first made me think of lazy afternoons staying cool spread out on cool stones of a patio.
It looks like the oldest bucks - those with the most points on their antlers - are on alert to the photographer while a younger one and the doe are looking for danger elsewhere. They don't look relaxed. Hard to dash out from under that trampoline with all the feet it has. The doe has positioned herself to get out fast. Maybe they really went under it to get out of the rain?
It's hard to be a wild creature. Some think it is romantic. Just seems to be dangerous, hungry, too cold or too hot to me.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Pumpkins

Last month I took a look at a nearby garden with growing pumpkins. I wonder if any became Jack O'Lanterns this week? Or pumpkin pie. Bread. Pasties as on the Hogwarts Express.
Alice sometimes makes pumpkin pasties. She says they are good with some potato and lots of sage. I don't know why she likes to eat things without meat sometimes. Why bother, I say? Still..... as long as I get my meat ration I'll be a happy camper. And save a lot of pumpkins' lives, too!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Ernie's Halloween

Ernie is only now beginning to recover from Halloween. One of his people put on a Darth Vader mask! Egads! said Ernie. Does my person have a dark soul? Nope, Ernie, it's just Halloween - just once a year! And, see, one of your people has a nice and friendly lumberjack outfit with a matching one for you. Only worry if he sings too many times and with unnerving frequency the song, "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!"
Those dark masks. I'm afraid of them, too. One kid came to my door on Halloween head to toe in a black robe with black gauze covering the face. Alice said it was a Harry Potter dementor oufit. I don't know about that. All I know is my heart raced and raced while that kid reached out for candy. Alice had a hard time not laughing - while I was getting more frightened - since the kid had trouble seeing the doorbell and her candy offering out of his black gauze mask.
I really preferred the local teenage girl clique who came by in their gypsy/pirate outfits with one of them a flower-child. (Green dress with glued on big fabric flowers.) And Alice kept thinking of telling the kids I am really a cat in a great dog costume. Hardy, har, har.
So Ernie, Halloween is something a bit frightening, but it is really fun once you know there are no dangerous kids who come to the door trick or treating. You get to bark hello to everyone. And, get to see the local kids dressed up in wild costumes.