Friday, February 28, 2014

Buddy No More

I adopted the bulldog in the previous post with high hopes. But it seems that after living his whole life in a box his social skills were not developed. He was not house trained. I had to set a schedule to take him out side as he would just up and piss with now warning or asking to go out. He had, what I perceived as, separation anxiety issues as well. Even after a trip out side, if I did not give him attention for the time it takes to brush my teeth he would piss in the floor. If I too 45 seconds to go upstairs and grab a pair of sock, he would piss in the floor. He got upset because I was washing dishes and not paying attention to his so he pissed on the floor. he was getting destructive also. I no longer have trim around my kitchen or back doors. The wall near the back door has the starting of a hole in it. I came home one day to find the bifolding bathroom door knocked off the track and a pile of dog shit on the bathroom floor. This dog was also VERY needy. Clingy. Wanted all my attention ALL the time whick made it difficult to put my boots on, eat a meal, take a shower, anything. And top it all off, this dog or breed, I don't know which, is not intelligent and he/they are slow and inactive. The only thing he got excited for is eating. No playing, no rough housing no nothing, just pissing, eating and shitting. So with return agreement in place I made the call and delivered the chunky little piss pot back to his previous enablers. The enablers insist that if I had ha dog crate all this could have been avoided. I think not.
I guess this is what happens when you keep a dog in a box like a toy only to be taken out when it suits you.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

My New Buddy

I've been wanting a dog for some time now. The ex took the German Shepard I/we raised from an 8 week old pup. So after enjoying the Westminster Kennel Club show I decided to look for a new canine buddy. A woman I work with told me that one of our bosses had some dogs he was trying to place. A short conversation with him led to a longer conversation with his wife. After that I now have a new buddy, an English Bulldog named of all things, Lincoln. Sheesh!  Any way, name aside, I think this five year old is going to be OK. We are having the usual new relationship issues but are working them out. OH, look, here comes the little guy now...




Sunday, February 16, 2014

Crashing Into A Relationship Or Two

A week or so back I was coming home from work and stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of items. I pushed my buggy down the produce aisle and found it block by a fine looking backside. I said "excuse me please" and the backside transformed into a very comely blonde woman. Five seven or so, shoulder length hair, trim but full in all the right spots. She and I exchanged a little banter and I moved on down the aisle. A few rows away I turned the corner and almost ran into her. A little more flirtation exchange occurred. Three or four more rows and SHE almost waylaid me. Once again, heavy flirtation fallowed. Now get this...It happened AGAIN! And yes the flirting was very heavy. She commented that she wasn't really trying to run me over and after giving her the up and down, I said I wouldn't mind her running into me at all. She pushed her buggy down the aisle while looking over her shoulder and giving that proverbial hair toss.
I have been back a couple time just scouting the terrain. Today I made a quick grocery run and low and behold, the Goddess works there! I managed to get in her lane and she recognized me right off. We exchanged names with a little light banter and due to the heavy Sunday traffic in the store that's as far as we got. In addition to the good looks, she seems very nice. I tell ya, I feel good about this. I will try to move this further along with a number exchange and a date request.  I'm really looking forward to this next phase of my new life. Really I am.

   Now for the other news. I have been wanting a dog. I've had dogs all my life. In the divorce I lost my buddy, Evo. Evo was a good looking, highly intelligent German shepherd. When the ex walked out on me she left the dog with me.When the divorce came around guess what she wanted? Yep, the dog she left behind. So, after watching last weeks Westminster kennel show, I started looking for a dog, a companion, a buddy. I was talking about this with a coworker and she told me that the Assistant Store Manager has a few dog he was trying to place and that she had just got a Chihuahua from him. I sought him out and found that he has a five year old English Bulldog to place. His wife is going to call me with some qualifying questions and then the bruiser will be mine. I understand these dogs have there own personalities, needs and problems and the dog is a male and I well know what that entails so I'm going into this with my eyes wide open. I have been doing my research on Bulldogs and am looking forward to this new union.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Supper...Alone

I made supper tonight and while I was cooking I realized it's a drag cooking for one and eating alone every day. Supper came out good though.

Blackened chicken with dressing and black pepper sweet corn. 'Nuff said.


Sunday, February 9, 2014

Biscuit, Honey and Mind Reading?

Yesterday I made a mess of big ol' biscuits with sausage gravy. I had a few biscuit left over so, this morning I had a couple with some good Missouri clover honey that I get from my ex brother in law. The have some hives on their place and the hive owner pays them in honey, lots of it.
  I warmed the biscuit and doused them with this good honey and thoroughly enjoyed this treat. I looked out the window and...crap! It's snowing again. great.

Here is my breakfast




My question is this... How did Stephen know?

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The War on Snowmageddon

Damn! The snow looks to be about 10 inches deep.  I paid two local kids to clear off the mass of snow in my back parking lot, the walkway around the house and the back steps. I had already done the front porch, the walk to the porch and the back deck. I got the kids started and tried to leave for cash to pay the mongrels with. Notice I said tried. I got stuck in the gateway, scraped up the side of my truck bed, got stuck in the alley 5 times, dug myself out 5 times and finally made it to the street. Made the bank run and came home. Decide not to attempt the alley again so I had to shovel the front parking spot on the street and the sidewalk along that area. FUCK!!!!!!! I'm beat, I hurt, I'm pilled up and drowsy. Just waiting on tonight's forecast of -14 degrees. Weee! Ain't we havin' fun now! Really, I'm getting to damn old and busted up for this crap anymore. But it seems I'm stuck here. I'm dreaming of a warmer clime with scantily clad women bouncing along their way. Wait. Let's see, Atlanta just had a snow event, Virginia has had several of them and many other Southern states have had snow this year. I lived near Corpus Christi Texas as a younger man and experienced a light snow and one ice storm in the same winter. So it seems the wonderful South is not the place it's cracked up to be. But it's still better than what we get around here on a regular basis. Anyway, I'm beat.

The City hard at work...

 
 
 
 My jacked up truck bed and a pile of snow...





More snow.....
 
 
 
 
 The back of the house...

 
 
 
 The aftermath of the alley adventure...



Tuesday, February 4, 2014

A Keeper

My son is in the Navy. One of the benefits his squadron receives is custom made firearms with all their squadron makings on it. They get these guns at a discounted price which is very nice. SIG usually added in range training and maintenance instruction.
The last one was a SIG 1911 in black with laser etching of the unit logo and motto. It's a very nice pistol and even nicer, he gave it to me.

 The latest one is a beauty. A Kimber 1911 in stainless with wood grips, Novak style carry sights lowered and flared ejection port, beaver tail grip safety and the laser engraving. Take  look for yourself.

Let It Fly!

The snow has arrived! It showed up with a 10-15 mph wind to back it up. At this time I have a little over 5 inches and the snow is still flying heavily.  the wind is causing a little drifting here in my neighbor hood so I would imagine in the country the drifts will be substantial.  The suggested totals are no in the 10 inch range.

   This brings to mind a question. If you live with this white crap or travel through areas that have cold temperatures and snowfall, are you prepared for the challenges these things present? Snow itself is cold and wet. it usually comes with a cold wind to boot. In this particular storm we are looking for temperatures to drop to a negative 10. Did you read that right? Ten degrees below ZERO. And that is without adding in a wind chill factor.
This situation call fro good, warm clothing, warm, dry boots, water proof warm gloves and certainly a hat. When temperatures get this cold, your skin freezes quickly so it MUST be covered up. No the trick is staying warm without sweating. If you are walking , struggling, running, shoveling you are going to sweat and under all those layers of clothes you are going to be drenched. Personally, when I shovel snow or walk to a distant stand, I dress very lightly as I am exerting my self for a short time. When gong to a stand I carry my coveralls, hat, heavy glove and such and don them at the stand after a cool off period. Now comes the cold part, staying inactive in the cold. Whether you are on a deer stand or an LP/OP, inactivity in extreme cold will chill you to the bone and kill you very easily unless you are prepared for it with layers of warm clothing. Poly Pro long johns seem the best anymore for a base layer and they come in several different weights. Then a mid level layer of wool pants and shirt or poly pro "sweats". Then a top layer of insulated coveralls. I prefer insulated bibs and a heavy coat on the top. With your hands you need a poly pro liner and a wool glove and water proof shell. Mittens are always good for the top layer as they trap a lot more heat. As far as a hat I use a simple single layer watch cap for most cold weather but then I run to warm. You might want a heavier cap or hat. If the wind gets up I will pull the coats hood over the cap. If it is very cold or the wind is creating very low temps you will need to cover you face too. No one wants a frostbit face. Your feet are another thing. Save those toes! Poly pro liners with wool socks and a good felt insulated pac boot are about the warmest I have found. Any of the Thinsulate lined boots are good as well. Once again though, it is easy to over insulate the feet and make them sweat  so it takes a little experimentation to get what is right for you. One big No No is COTTON. Do not use cotton in cold weather. It absorbs moisture and holds it and that sucks the warmth out of your body and that my friends is a bad, bad thing in the cold.
Now the big question is, Do you have any or all of these things in your preps?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Here It Comes...Again

I just got the sleet cleared away and now the weather guessers are calling for another storm bringing 5-9 inches of snow on Tuesday. And the temps are falling again. It was 10 degrees this morning. Great just what I need. I can barely pay my electric bill for January and now it appears that February is shaping up to keep the furnace cranking away. UGH! sigh.

I'm ready for a change, sunny, warm and all that stuff.






Saturday, February 1, 2014

UHGG!

I awoke from a warm slumber to the sound of...nothing. No cars, no trucks, just quiet. I crawled out of my snug cocoon of piled quilts, threw on some comfortable sweats and peaked out the window. What did I see? Sleet. Fucking sleet. An inch and a half of sleet. Frozen droplet that fall from the sky to turn the roads into, what seems to be, a table covered in white ball bearings. Nice. I put on my coveralls, boots and a hat, grabbed my new snow shovel and went to battle. The accumulation was nicely crusted over and broke into loose piles of the slick shiny beads and slabs and chunks. Whew! Now that that is done, what to do? I'm sick of looking at these walls, watching that flickering idiot box, staring out the windows. My favorite flea market is closed on the weekends. It seems I lost my fascination with gunshops through the gaping hole in my pocket and there are no small shops that a guy can go to and just hang out. Maybe a trip to wander around Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops. I dunno, I just know that I'm NOT sitting around the damn house today. Sleet or no.

I did receive this in my email this morning. And it makes me proud to be a grandpa. My little Diamond.