Birds of spring

Robin? Check.

Red-winged blackbird? Check.

Morning doves cooing the sun up every morning? Check.

Big helping of crow? Sigh - check.

Yep, that is Kip on a retractable leash. Yep, a RETRACTABLE leash. Re. Tract. Able.

The leash I hate. The leash I tell everyone NOT to waste money on. The leash I despise for the lack of control it provides. The leash I bought almost 2 years ago, and used only once or twice before consigning it to the "Why did I spend my money on this?" dog supply bin (which, I am ashamed to say, is really large).

So why?

Since getting Kip, I have been VERY fortunate to live in areas where there are great dog-walking areas and where I can (although against city by-laws, strictly speaking) let Kip run off-leash. I love letting him run off-leash. It allows him to run-and-run-and-run-and-run-and-run-and-run, and it also allows us to work on recalls, distraction proofing, etc.

I moved here in November, and I have been really happy with our dog-walking area all winter.

But recently, something happened.

It got warm.

And people started appearing in greater and greater numbers. People walking, on bikes, with strollers, and running children and other dogs...

And suddenly, having an off-leash dog doesn't seem to be a fantastic idea.

But having a dog continually on a 5' leash seems equally "unfantastic".

Hence, the re... the ret.... the retractable {shudder} came out of the "Wasted Money" bin.

And I admit it - I was wrong. It's not that bad. I still think it limits the control the walker has on the dog. I still think most people can't use it properly. I still think for training, it's the worst leash you could use. But to allow a (somewhat) well-trained dog some freedom on a walk, it can't be beat.

And it lets Kip safely explore the slowly melting ice piles without getting my feet dirty.



Some more pictures:

I can't do justice to the size of the piles of ice and snow thrown up on the lake shore in the winter. But, for the first time, I can provide a reference - those stick figures are two adult humans walking on that pile. And all that snow and ice is on land, not the lake. There is an amazing amount of power in that there water.


And this is taken in a similar location to one taken a mere 5 weeks ago. The snow really is melting. Winter really is going, even if spring isn't fully sprung.

Past

This is my past.



These are pictures were taken on on the farm belonging to one of my great-grandfathers.



The names written on the back of the one above includes "the dog Jim", but doesn't name the two (assumed to be) hired men standing to the left of the picture. I'm glad to see my ancestors had their priorities straight!

A couple cousins and I are doing some research into the family history. It interests me, and I think it should be done before yet another generation leaves us, taking their knowledge, their memories, their family history with them. To date, we have a basic, bare-bones link back to John, born c. 1690 somewhere near York, Pennsylvania (yes, dirty little secret - my family was once American!! Yikes!!! ;D ), so we have a LOT of work to do.

Learning about the past really does interest me. It also puts things into perspective.


When I complain about the cable conking out once again, I need to remember be thankful that I live in a house with electricity.

When I complain about the the price of gas, I need to remember be thankful that I don't have to use a horse and buggy to get where I want to go.

When I complain about cleaning the toilet, I need to remember be thankful that I don't have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night, or worse, empty the chamber pots.

When I complain about many modern life inconveniences, I need to remember be thankful that I live in time and in a culture where I am free, I have the right to vote, the right to own property in my name, the right to post my opinions openly, the ability to work, to get world-class medical and dental care, the ability to read and learn, the ability and right to be educated.

There are many people living in this world today who live in conditions that would have been thought primitive to those ancestors in the pictures above. And I thank those ancestors, and the sacrifices they made, and the courage they had, that I live in a time and culture where I can complain about cable TV, the price of gas and cleaning the toilet. I promise to try to think of them before I do so however!

P.S. sorry for the poor picture quality - I couldn't get the scanner to work, but I will try again and replace these if I can with better images.

My new workout plan

Gym membership for the year: $480

New running shoes: $125

Workout clothes: $68

The knowledge that hours spent in the gym are completely useless when it comes to being fit enough to spend two days on your hands and knees chipping up peel-and-stick tile flooring: PRICELESS.


And it wasn't even my floor. Sigh.

The penguin is my hero

I woke up in the middle of the night last night, and couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided, with all of my 3am-inspired wisdom, to take the garbage and recycling out to the curb, instead of getting up at 7 am to do it.

So, in my jammies and bedhead hair, I turn on the porch light and grab the recycling bin. I mean, really, who's going to see me?

The cops, that's who. Yep, I'm half way down the driveway, as a cop car slows right down at the curb.

What did I learn? To always get dressed and brush my hair when leaving the house? To not do chores in the middle of the night?

Nope.

I learned, if you want to rob a house, do it in cutsie jammies and use a recycling bin to haul out the goods. The cops took one look, and drove off. Really, it's fool proof!

Mr. Potato Brain strikes again

I have a silly dog. A weird dog. A bizarre dog.

I have a dog who, once the snow starts to melt, will search out that last bit of snow to pee/poop on. He did it last winter. He's doing it again this winter. It's like grass is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Hmmm...

You can buy trays of grass for apartment dogs to use.

I wonder if there are more dogs out there like Kip.

And if I could make money selling trays of snow.

Shipping would be a bitch though.

I have a silly dog. A weird dog. A bizarre dog.

But he's mine, and I'm keeping him.

Tornados, fridges and a father's work ethic

You can tell a lot about the integrity of a person by how well they paint behind their fridge.

This piece of wisdom first popped into my mind sometime late on Easter weekend, 2006.

I had recently bought a townhouse, and decided to take advantage of the 4-day Easter weekend to paint the bathroom and kitchen. 2 rooms, 4 days - no problem, right?

Like most things when it comes to home renovations, it took longer, and cost more than I had anticipated. Things came up - like the trip to the Home Despot to but a step ladder - just so I could paint that corner of the kitchen over the cabinets above the fridge. And the fact that the bathroom took 5 coats (Note: DO NOT listen to the clerk at the paint store that says you do not need tinted primer when painting red).

Things came up. It took a long time. I was tired. It was late at night, and I was on the 2nd coat of the kitchen, when I came to the fridge. Not a hard thing to move. But, I was tired. And there was already one really good coat of paint behind the fridge. It would be so much easier to skip it. And really, who would know?

I would know.

Every time I looked at the fridge, I would know. This is one lesson my father instilled in me, even if he doesn't realize it (Gee, thanks, Dad!).

If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

If you don't have time to do it right, you won't have time to do it over.

I don't recall my father ever uttering those words. He taught more by showing and doing, than speaking. Which explains the treehouse he built for my sister's children - every angle square, every inch measured, every thing right - because he would know. It explains many things that my dad has done over the years. And, it has lodged in me, apparently. Since the wall behind the fridge got that second coat of paint.

So, what does all this have to do with this house, and with tornadoes??

There was a bad storm this past week, that spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma, and killed at least 8 people. That same storm hit here, resulting in high winds only, thankfully.

The house was fine - except for one piece of siding that half blew off the front porch wall. Because it had never been nailed on. Simply clipped into the piece below and the thin topmost strip.

Not a big deal. Easily fixed. The roof didn't leak. No windows were broken. No one was killed.

But I'm annoyed. I HATE fixing things that others couldn't be bothered to do right in the first place. I don't mind doing things. I don't mind fixing things that have broken, worn out, etc. But to fix something, redo something, repair something, simply because of someone else's lack of work ethic, annoys me.

And it seems to be epidemic. From the mechanic who didn't put the plug back in the oil pan in my car, to the pizza maker that forgot the mushrooms; from the shoe store clerk that couldn't be bothered to call the other location to see if they had those boots in my size, to the cable company that can't be bothered to show up on time, or even call to say they are running late.

It's everywhere. And it annoys me. And there is nothing I can do about it.

Except always paint well behind my fridge.

House perks

It's now day 100. Time for a list of the things I love about this house.

1. The location.
2. The fact that is is literally steps from the lake shore.
3. A lake shore that has wonderful walking trails all along it.
4. And a beach about 5 minutes away.
5. The fact that in warm weather, I'll be able to fall asleep to the sound of the waves.
6. The original woodwork throughout the house.
7. And the fact that, except in one room, it is NOT painted.
8. The large yard.
9. The 4 big trees in the yard (even though 1, or maybe 2, will have to come down).
10. The fact that it, although only ~1300 sq. ft., has room enough to entertain.
11. And has a formal dining room.
12. The front porch. A front porch seems so old fashioned and neighbourly. Of course, I most likely will never sit out on the front porch. But I could if I wanted to.
13. The fact that the one bedroom upstairs is large enough I can cleave off enough space for a 2nd bathroom - good for those 2 am bathroom calls!
14. The windows - large and plentiful.
15. And the fact that they are relatively new, so I don't have to replace them.
16. The fact that I actually have windows on all four sides of my house that open (having lived my entire adult live in either apartments or townhouses up to now, this is a novelty).
17. The fact that the cross-breezes generated by those windows, and the proximity to the lake, should be enough to cool the house in the summer.
18. The fact that there is an air conditioner for those days those windows and breezes aren't enough to cool the house.
19. Have I mentioned the location?
20. And the walking trails?
21. That Kip loves??
22. And that this street isn't a main street, and so isn't busy, but it's close to a main street, and all the amenities there.
23. Such as take-out pizza.
24. And Wal-Mart.
25. And there is a great hardware store only a few minutes drive away. I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time, and money, in that hardware store.
26. The highway is also only a few minutes away.
27. Which cuts down the time spent driving to the closest Starbucks.
28. The fact that the closest Starbucks is ~20 minutes away, which will save me money.
29. That I can spend at the hardware store instead.
30. The climate - after 10 winters with -40 F being a regular feature, it's is warm here - relatively.
31. And once the house is insulated, it will be warm inside as well!
32. The fact that every room is so ugly/poorly renovated, that it really is going to be easier to tear everything out and start with a clean slate, instead or trying to make it work with what's here now.
33. And the fact that it is going to take a LOT of work to get it all fixed...

...but I still think it's worth it!

House peeves

I have lived in this house for 99 days, and these are the things that have driven me nuts every one of those 99 days.

1. Little to no insulation. I realize the house is 80 years old. But it has been renovated at least twice in those 80 years. Did no one consider insulating it?
2. Not enough electrical outlets. Ditto the renovation remarks - the electricity has been updated, so why not add more outlets while you're at it??
3. Electrical outlets that don't work. I must try to fix that one of these days - if I remember where my circuit tester is...
4. Walls that hurt when you brush up against them. Walls should not hurt - so please never stucco the inside of your house.
5. Did I mention the no insulation? It's been a cold winter.
6. Ceiling fans - I hate ceiling fans.
7. The fact that all the bedrooms have ceiling fans...
8. ...but no wall switches to turn on the ceiling fan lights.
9. Mini blinds - I hate mini-blinds.
10. Especially broken mini-blinds.
11. Or mini-blinds that don't work properly.
12. The laminate floor in the bathroom.
13. And the fact that the floor is swelling due to the moisture.
14. Which is why you never put laminate in a bathroom.
15. The parquet floor in the kitchen, part of which was ruined at one time, and very poorly repaired.
16. The fact that a poorly repaired parquet floor has many loose wood pieces...
17. ...that are considered doggy chew toys.
18. Did I mention it's cold??
19. And that my gas bill for this winter is going to be insanely high?
20. Even though I keep the thermostat set at 65 F most days?
21. And 55 F at night?
22. Not counting those days when the furnace couldn't keep the house at 65 F.
23. The kitchen light switch is at the back of the room, so you have to walk through the dark kitchen to turn it on.
24. The horrible green carpet that is installed throughout the house.
25. The horrible carpet that really smells.
26. And that I'm afraid to clean, since it might just disintegrate.
27. The fire hazard I've created with the many, many extension cords running everywhere.
28. The fact that it's been so cold, but I still have mosquitoes in the house, thanks to the small lake I have in the crawl space.
29. The fact that I have to heat the crawl space to keep the pipes from freezing.
30. The fact that the heated crawl space supports an entire ecosystem apparently - mosquitoes, mice...
31. The fact that the front porch has a ramp instead of stairs. I'm not sure why that bugs me, but it does.
32. The fact that so many things were installed/fixed/upgraded poorly or just wrong - I don't mind doing things, but I hate doing thing over because someone else couldn't be bothered to do it right in the first place.
33. And the fact that it is going to take a LOT of work to get it all fixed...

...but I still think it's worth it!

Winter Wonderland

Just a few more pics from yesterday's walk - although cold, it was a nice sunny day. And at least one of us was wearing fur.

Lake Erie generally freezes over in the winter, being the shallowest of the Great Lakes. An ice boom is deployed every winter to prevent the ice from flowing down the Niagara River and damaging the water intakes for the hydroelectric power plants. This isn't the best picture, but you can see the open water that is immediately downstream of the boom.


Kip on the walking path - it's nice that it's maintained throughout the winter!

A few short months ago, this was all sand. Hopefully, it won't be too long until it's back to sand!



The ice and snow build-up on the shore line, caused by the lake. That's Buffalo in the background.


It's pretty in winter - but I still can't wait for spring!

Brags at -12 C

I am proud of the Kipperdog - and of myself. Let me explain. Kip is my first dog, my starter dog, the dog I need so many do-overs on... but I'm learning. The first year I had him, I listened to the "positive-only" trainers - the "ignore bad behaviour, reward good behaviour" ones. And this may work for some dogs. But it doesn't work for Kip and I. And it took me a year, and a lot of advice from some great dog people, to make me realize that there is no one way of training that works for every dog and every trainer. And that no training tool is cruel - it's the mis-use of any training tool that can be cruel.

Long story short, I now have a dog that can walk off-leash, can do a recall, and can generally behave well in public. Is he perfect? No. Do we need a lot more work? Oh yeah!! But he (and I) are miles ahead of where we were a year ago.

Today, although cold, was sunny, so I took the camera along on our walk. And taped this:




Is it a perfect heel? No. Is it a perfect recall? No. Neither would win any points at an obedience competition. But it is a dog that is heeling, off-leash, outside, and then doing a recall. And I am proud of Kip. And of myself. We are a work in progress, but we are getting there! It's a good day.