My Bit of Earth

Happy Halloween!

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

Moe Was On "Dog Each Day" And I Almost Missed It!

Since 2006 is the "Year of the Dog", artist Larry Merrill has been keeping a blog featuring a drawn picture of a different dog each day.  The blog is aptly called "Dog Each Day".

Months ago, I sent him this picture of Moe, hoping he would draw him.  I got a kind of lukewarm response (he gets tons of submissions, and he's only doing the project for the rest of this year) so I wasn't expecting anything.  But lo and behold, on October 22 Moe got picked.  And he looks great!

Moe Speaks: My First Mail

Goodness, today was a great day--today I got my first ever real mail! Last summer we were at an earthdog trial when a lady came up and asked Mom some questions for a magazine. She was supposed to send us a copy of the finished article, but I think she must have forgotten. Not to worry though, Eugene U. Genius and his Mom subscribe to the magazine, so they sent us their copy. It was so nice of them! And see, it was addressed from Eugene to me--how much fun!

Who Said It?

There's a new quiz on Leaky--each question gives a quote and you have to decide who said it.  It was pretty fun, go try it.

Yoda-Jack

This year, instead of a regular pumpkin, I picked out a big hubbard squash for our Jack'o'Lantern.  We didn't notice until we started carving, but he has a kind of Jedi master look about him, don't you think?

The Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 2

We went back this morning for more terrier fun.  Moe did the "Super Go-To-Ground" first (an earthdog tunnel with lots of twists and turns and several entrances and exits).  He didn't think twice about going into the longer tunnel, but, once inside, he couldn't quite figure out what turn he was supposed to make to get the the rats.  He had a lot of fun looking though.

Then we did some terrier racing.  As a "colored terrier" (aka not a Jack Russell) Moe races in the Novice class at Jack Russell trials, even though he's super tall.  He won first in both the flat race and the hurdles, and so was the Novice Racing Champ of the day!  More pictures of both days are here.

Moe Speaks: Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 2

We went back to the fun place again today.

First, I did something Mom called "Super" Go-To-Ground. I don't know what was so super about it. There were all kinds of ways to go into the tunnel--it was so confusing. I could smell the rats, but I just couldn't figure out how to get to them. I did all that work running and sniffing, and I didn't even get to bark at the rats--very disappointing!

But then I ran some races. I did one race without hurdles and one with hurdles; I won them both! Mom said that meant I was the "Novice Racing Champion" for the day. I got some of the ribbon things that Mom likes, but even better, I won two whole bowls of treats!

The Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 1

After spending all day Friday a-bed with a yucky tummy, it was awesome to get outside today for some terrier fun.  The Wee Welshman and I went to Ottawa for the Heartland Halloween Happening, a Jack Russell trial held every year by the Heartland Working Jack Russell Terrier Club.  The weather was gorgeous, and Moe had a blast participating in all of the terrier events.  He took first place in the novice agility on-lead (in which I almost didn't enter him because we haven't practiced since last summer); second in open adult go-to-ground (similar to earthdog, he made it through the tunnel in 8.5 seconds), weinner bobbing (think bobbing for apples, but with hot dogs), and in the lickiest terrier contest (yup, just what it sounds like); third in the barn hunt (wherein I had to recognize which tube a rat was in based on his reaction); and fourth in the Halloween costume contest (I think we got jipped because the judge didn't know who Harry Potter was.) 

Whew--it was a lot of fun, and the Welshman is now completely crashed out in his chair.  We go back for more tomorrow!

Moe Speaks: The Heartland Halloween Happening--Day 1

I was so confused this morning. Mom got up early (like she does when she had to go to work) but then she started loading my stuff into the car. Sure enough, we were going to do some earthdogging--but that's not all we did.

We went to the Heartland Halloween Happening, a trial that our local Jack Russell club holds every year. It certainly was exciting! We showed off my costume and had hot dogs and did agility and found rats in tunnels and in hay--and we get to go back tommorrow for more even--it was crazy-mad-fun!

Oh, and Mom says I have to say . . . .

I won first place in novice agility on-lead; second place in open adult go-to-ground, weinnie bobbing, and the contest for the lickiest terrier; third place in the barn hunt; and fourth place in the costume contest.

Moe Speaks: Nurse Moe

I was really worried about Mom last night. She woke up a long time before she usually has to, and after tossing and turning for awhile, she got up and was sick. I'm usually not the nurse dog aroung here--Porter's much better at that--but I've never seen Mom look quite that color before and I was really worried. So, I crawled back into bed with her. I knew her tummy might be a little sore--mine always is after I throw-up--so I was extra careful not to step on it. Instead I curled up right next to her, making myself into a little living heating pad right in her belly curve. It must've been the right thing to do; just as she was drifting back to sleep Mom said, "Thank you, Moe-Moe."

Quick Quotes Quill Friday: On Friendships Formed on Halloween

"There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

--Philosopher's Stone

Moe Speaks: BRRRR!

I got groomed last week--Dad took me to the good people, the people who like me. The only problem? Well, Mom forgot to tell Dad, and Dad forgot to tell the groomers to leave a little extra hair on me because it's cold out. Brrr! Mom tries to help by putting on my sweater or my hoodie, but I don't really like either. They make me feel funny when I walk or move, and I'd rather be cold. But at least Mom lets me cuddle with her. The other night I was trying to crawl up between Dad and Mom in bed (which is definitely against Dad's rules, but sometimes ok with Mom). Dad pushed me back down to the foot of the bed where it's all cold, and I started shivering like mad. I think Dad must have felt bad for me then; not bad enough to let me snuggle, but he did go get me a blanket and tuck me in so I'd be warmer.

Brave Ladies

Two rays of sunshine on a dark, misty day . . . .

First, have a read about Goldie the Airdale, a gorgeous girl who survived on her own for two years in the wild and spent part of that time unable to use her hind legs.  She's now been rescued and is getting the care she needs to get well.  (Maybe it's because she looks so much like Moe, but I just want to give her big cuddles and a steak.)  You can say many things about terriers, but you can't say they lack courage.

Second, a story about female rescuers in Islamic countries.  Although, it's heartbreaking to me that there are men that would rather see their female relatives die than be touched by a strange man, it's beyond cool that there are women who are learning to help themselves and other women to avoid that choice being made.  The last paragraph says it all:

“There was such a sense of freedom at the beginning, when I rappelled off a mountain on ropes,” says Alam. “It felt like flying. For the first time, I felt independent. Then I saw my mother-in-law was clapping for me. She told everyone, ‘My son’s wife is very different from other women. She is very brave.’ I felt so proud to be able to do this work, to know I can save lives."

The Real-Life Trio

While I (obviously) am very attached to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I'm perhaps even more charmed by the Daniel-Rupert-Emma trio.  Two bits in Newsweek this week (a Q&A and an article) about Daniel Radcliffe show why.  An excerpt:

"NEWSWEEK: When you go to places like the Reading Festival, do you have to worry about being recognized?

Daniel Radcliffe: It’s not so much being recognized. The only thing you have to worry about is press. But we pretty well got away with it. There was only one photo of me [that was published] with some headline about the hat I was wearing. [Laughs.] Yeah, some really important news. Groundbreaking stuff. So, no, people recognizing you is not really an issue. In fact, one of the best moments of the festival for me was on the first day: My friends and I walked out of this tent, and there was this guy passed out on the floor. He woke up, just momentarily, went, [in slurry, drunk voice] “It’s Harry Potter!” and collapsed again. [Laughs]"

They were rich and famous at age 11, they get to practically live at Hogwarts, and they've met J.K. Rowling multiple times--enough that, were they anyone else, it would be hard not to be crazy-jealous.  But then you read interviews with them--funny, smart, humble, thoughtful--and it's impossible not to feel that you could be good friends with all three.

Tuesday Vocabulary Lesson: Jingoism

Last night as I was reading (still working on "The Audacity of Hope" although it's actually going quickly for a "smart" book) I came across an unfamiliar word--jingoism.  I stopped to look it up then, and I'm glad I did.  I've since seen the word in not less than 3 news stories today.  Since it is obviously creeping into popular vocabulary here is an amalgamation of several definitions I've found:

Jingoism--chauvinistic patriotism, especially with regard to a hawkish political stance; zealous patriotism expressing itself especially in hostility toward other countries, bellicose chauvinism;  flag waving.

The word was first used in connection with certain British politicians who sought to bring England into the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) on the side of the Turks. It apparently derived from a popular song of the period:

"We don't want to fight

But, by Jingo, if we do,

We've got the ships,

We've got the men,

We've got the money, too."

So, there you are, go forth and use a new word.

(Sources:  Answers.com, Wikipedia, Google)

Report: Online Grocery Shopping

After work today, I picked up the groceries we ordered online.  Getting them was a little strange; I don't think many people actually do the store pick-up option.  I assume that mine was the only order today, as they didn't even ask my name.  I stopped someone at the front and told them I had ordered my groceries online, he had me wait while he called someone, and in about three minutes me and my stuff were on the way out the door.

Our chief concern was that the produce wouldn't be fresh, but generally it was great.  The "slightly green" bananas were, in fact, slightly green.  The Fuji apples were very nice.  The avocado, although a bit more ripe than I would have picked myself, was well within acceptable parameters.  All told, it was a pretty good experience.

At $10 a time, it probably isn't something we'll do every week, but on weekends when we aren't home or are super busy it's definitely cheaper than eating out until someone can get to the store.

Moe in Autumn

The Wee Welshman and I took a picture taking walk this morning.  The leaves in our neighborhood have been gorgeous this year, and I wanted to get out and take some pictures before they all fall.  I love the autumn colors up next to Moe's (freshly groomed) coat.

The Power of the Internet

Today Sweet Husband and I took a foray into the future.  The fridge was empty, a trip to the grocery store was necessary, but somehow both of us could think of much more worthwhile pursuits for our Sunday afternoon--reading a good book, watching the Sunday movie, throwing toys for the dogs.  Enter online grocery shopping.

For $10 our local supermarket will gather all your groceries and meet you with them at the door, for $15 they'll bring them to your house.  We decided to go with the pickup option; our groceries will be ready for us by 4 tomorrow afternoon.

The ordering system was very intuitive.  Everything was organized by "aisles", so the stuff that's usually in the dairy section (e.g. yummy orange sweet rolls) was in the dairy section.  In addition there was a nice search feature for looking up that stuff that doesn't necessarily fit anywhere obvious--like refried beans.

My complaints?  There are no weekend pickup times.  We decided we could scrounge up enough around the house to wait for our groceries until tomorrow, but some weekends that just wouldn't cut it.  We also had trouble buying meat.  Since there are only two of us (as opposed to the requisite 2 adults and 2 1/2 kids) we had difficulty getting the quantity we wanted.

More generally, I'm not sure if I like the way shopping online kind of eliminated some of the spontaneity of grocery shopping.  Instead of being able to look at the apples and decide which variety looked best, we had to just pick Fuji's and hope they would be good. 

But I can't complain too much.  It took me 45 minutes (but would only take about 15 now that I have a basic list saved), I didn't have to change out of my pj's, and now I can get back to my book.

I'll update once we've gotten our groceries and let you know how it goes.

Statistics

This fire was my prize in a bet with Sweet Husband.  I bet him that the date we had our first fire last year was earlier than the date we made this fire.  Due to the power of blogging, I was able to prove myself right (our first fire last year was October 9), and Sweet Husband proceeded to build me a roaring little fire. 

In anticipation of winning future such bets, here are some statistics for this year . . . .

• First frost--October 13
• First fire--October 16
• First night with extra blanket on the bed--October 18

Aside from compiling these riveting factoids, I've been reading Barrack Obama's new book.  I'll be reporting in with a review sometime soon.