Trashy Tuesday – So What Else Is Knew!

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." – Albert Einstein

Happy Tuesday everyone. So far I love our August weather. Temps are nice, sleeping is nice, and we have gotten a modest amount of rain. I have been sleeping like a rock the last few nights. Boy is that great. I’m full of energy in the morning but don’t really “pop” out of bed, it takes a little to get things moving. At my age, rolling out of bed is easy, getting up off the floor is another story. I think if you were meant to “Pop” out of bed, you’d be sleeping in a toaster. I think my letter to Mother Nature may have had a little bit of help. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

The case of the lost Chihuahua

has been solved. You may remember that a neighbor found him wandering last Tuesday and she promptly handed him off to us. Ends up the dog didn’t have any tags and didn’t have a chip. We had little success finding his owner. Listed him on Craigslist – no luck. Followed up Tuesday evening on a promising lead but that was a bust. My current wife, the dog and I took him all over the area asking anyone we could find if they knew this guy. Daylight was running out so I decided to put him up in the VIP suite of Grandpa Bailey’s Doggie Fitness Center and Spa for the night and as long as it took. He snuggled right in on the doggie couch in the suite. He watched TV, mostly the Olympics, and nibbled on some gourmet treats. He mostly seemed to be tired and thirsty. In the VIP suite we have Evian bottled water pumped in to automatic water. He gets chilled fresh pure water at all times. It really is a pretty cozy place. Of course it is climate controlled with central air and heat with HEPA filtered air. Also in the living area is the aforementioned couch, a dog sized recliner, a toy chest filled with toys and bones, a nice soft blanket and wall to wall carpet. There is a doggie door in the wall leading into a hall that exits directly at the French Doggie Bidet for, you know, his official business. I showed him a couple of times and he got the hang of it right away. I hung around for a while just to make certain he was comfortable and he used the Bidet a number of times. I think he really liked the squirt of water and the warm air dryer the best. At least he seemed to linger in these areas anyway. Wednesday afternoon we called the local animal care and control agency to see if someone had reported a lost Chihuahua. Fortunately, someone had reported one in our area. We called him and the couple came over. We knew these were the right owners, when he saw them he just went crazy with happiness. It really was an exciting and heartwarming moment. The guy (his grandfather it turns out) was equally excited. It seems as though he was dog sitting when the dog got loose. He had not told his daughter that the dog was lost so he was REALLY, REALLY happy. The only one not as excited was the current wife. She, it turns out, had developed a bond with the little guy. This Chihuahua was completely satisfied to be sitting on her lap sleeping. Maybe she will need a lap dog of her own someday. Most of my outdoor work has begun to come to an end and so I am getting back into the routine by going to the gym in the mornings. Since the weather has cooled, the outdoor stuff remaining can be done anytime of the day now. Okay, so the proprietors of the gym seem to have had “atomic balm” put in their shorts or something. They are going nuts it seems and everyone is up in the air for one reason or another. These people in their infinite greedy wisdom decided to convert the basketball court/walking track into something called GTX workout area. Along one wall they have a sand pile the full length, they have these “Biggest Loser” workout stations – the big ropes, the pushing weight sled, the big tire, stuff to hang from on the wall, and on and on. Of course, this room is off limits unless you pony up with an extra $30 to $70 per month extra. I have never seen more than one or two people in there at any one time in the mornings. Meanwhile, the room used for things like silver sneakers, body jam; step classes get more and more crowded. On Mondays, Sue refuses to go because the class is too full. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays seem to be the peak days for attendance with over 50 senior bodies in a room designed for no more than 30. Do they add another class? Heck no! They have a so-called “Member Appreciation” day coming up. That is a hoot. They also have an employee day to clean up their respective areas and rooms. Only problem is the trainers are required to do it on their own time, unpaid. Are you getting the drift? I have noticed the walkers in the club have started walking in and around the exercise equipment in circuit where they can do a bunch of laps. Way to go guys keep it up!! For my part I am just enjoying depositing as much sweat on the treadmills and bikes as I can. It is my silent protest I guess.

I have not had any acid reflux since that one time last week. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I imagine now I will actually have a heart attack and think it is acid reflux. Isn’t that about the way it goes? On a related housekeeping note, we keep several get well cards on the mantel. That way when someone stops by unexpectedly, they will think you’ve been sick and unable to clean. Here’s a caveat however, you should rotate these get well cards just in case the same person stops by unexpectedly more than once.

National Whatever Day!

August 15 – Victory Over Japan Day

August 16 – National Rum Day

August 17 – National Thrift Shop Day

August 18 – Long Tan Day

August 19 – National Aviation Day
World Humanitarian Day

August 20 – National Radio Day

August 21 – Senior Citizens Day
Finally a day for all of us!!!!!

Granddog Update: Max, the meek, has been keeping tabs on the bunny nest. All seems to going well on that front. He gives a cursory sniff just to make certain they are there. His mother seems to think the mother rabbit is visiting. Time will tell. Kinnick took a short vacation this past weekend. He and his mom took off Friday for Denver. It is an 11 ½ hour drive. He was allowed to ride in the back seat since the storage area was full of suitcases. On the way out it was reported that he would sleep for 5 or 10 minutes and then would watch out the windows. Apparently he had a good time while out there. He went for a 2 hour hike and stuff. On the way back, he slept virtually all the way except for potty breaks and an occasional lift up the head to see if mom was still up front. I think he must have had a pretty darn good time. The dogs along Hysteria Lane have been unusually barky lately for some reason. On Sunday our neighbor was gone in the afternoon and the dog barked the entire 3 or 4 hours nonstop. Then there are the sister dogs behind that bark at EVERYTHING all the time. Is it a full moon, is it “Let’s All Bark at Once Day” or what? Is Mother Nature giving a tradeoff for nice weather and rain? Maybe it is because I can open the windows for a change. But honestly, when my granddogs visit, they have been known to speak their peace also. It all evens outs.

The French Roast is history for today and that usually is a cue for me to begin wrapping up the blog for today. Another good cue is when Sue, my previous and current wife, is sitting next to me patiently looking over my shoulder and subliminally telling me to hurry up. Speaking of Sue, the other day she ran across the coffee grinder that we made a special trip to Target to purchase a couple of weeks ago. She looked at it, and casually inquired if I had used it yet. What was I to say? I could lie and say yes but she would know it was a lie because I never clean anything that good or I could tell the truth and absorb the resulting admonishment. I opted for the latter and am still absorbing that darn admonishment. You know admonishments are not created equal, sometimes takes a while to absorb. Any way I best get going, I don’t know where but that is what we always say when we are trying to get away from something or someone. Until we cross paths again, TA!