Bart Got a Haircut

It was so hot last week, Bart was miserable. And... he always comes home with grass and and bits stuck in his thick fur. So, his mom took him to get a haircut!

Of course I get to see it at the creek which means I have to chase him down!

Hold on there Bart!

Com'on, let Auntie see!!!

Slow down boy!!

I just want to see your face!!!

Well, at least your tail is still fluffy! But, let me see that sweet face!!!

Finally! Had to corner him in the car!!! Isn't he cute???

Breakfast with the Girl

I had some sort of tummy flu for a few days this week and today was my first day back on solid food. So, I took the girl to our favorite breakfast joint... where her favorite waitress, Miss Lori, spoils her rotten!

My breakfast ( a far cry from my usual!):

And Mabel Lou's Breakfast:

#1 - Pancakes

Mabel enjoying said pancakes: 

Mabel's 2nd round - Cream left over from my oatmeal:

Mabel's 3rd Breakfast - 

Bacon, potatoes and a biscuit

And... since all this was pretty carb heavy, I ordered her an egg. This is only 1/2 because "somebody" knocked it out of my hand!

And yes, for the record... she got TWO hikes today!

Artistic Views of the Pups

I was inspired to try creating paintings from photos after readying a post by Velvet.

Mabel at Play

Bart at Rest

Twinkie Surveying

Bart & Mabel Cooling Off

Well, I'm OLD, so I MUST Be Useless

It's all a conspiracy!!!

My computer died a few months ago. I was lucky enough to have a back up of my files. But my new beastie runs Windows 7. Except for the organic way Windows 7 finds anything in my computer, I pretty much hate it. Word and Excel have some strange new menus and I have to use help to do everything I used to do with ease. But I digress.

First comes the big bill for the computer. Then comes the realization that, since I loved XP pro and never trusted all those upgrades Microsoft (referred to as Microcrap in this house) came out with, none of my software will work. KACHING! Well, I'm barely scraping by as it is. So I literally beg, borrow and steal software cause I don't have an extra two grand just burning holes in my pockets.

Then comes the realization that my hardware doesn't work either! KACHING! KACHING! Microcrap overlooked the ever so remote possibility that every computer in the place would not be running Windows 7. Cause, yeah, I'm not working and can certainly afford to buy TWO computers...NOT! So networking is not REALLY possible...not with the ease it was with XP.

With XP, I have a wireless router and could print from either the big printer by my desktop or the little printer in the studio.... Easy peasy. With Windows 7, I have to choose. No longer printing an invoice from one computer to the other. The closest I can get is printing a pdf file to one from the other, then going to the printer I need and retrieving the pdf for actual paper printing. ARGH!

But that's not all. After wasting 7 hours of my life, downloading drivers, reloading drivers, erasing drivers for my scanner, I finally discovered online chat with HP (Hewlett Packard). After chatting with "Jack" (who I'm certain was either Indian or Filipino because he apologized constantly. Clue to companies sending American jobs overseas... Americans don't want constant apologies... it pisses us off!), I was told... "Well, your scanner is OLD!"

Yes, but it worked fine before Windows 7!

HP is not updating drivers for such old equipment.

Well, funny but I used to think alot of that old company, HP. NOT ANY MORE.

Not only do I feel like all these companies get together and try and see how much money they can squeeze out of consumers, I really HATE the tendency to throw out things just because they are OLD. I don't own a single flat screen tv... because my old ones work fine!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised...we don't treat our senior citizens much better.

Mabel Lou Has a Namesake!

There is now another little Mabel in the world! If you believe in spaying / neutering, as I do, one of the saddest things is there is no part of your beloved pet to live on in the world.

So I was delighted when my oldest friend messaged me on Facebook to tell me her youngest son has named his new puppy Mabel!

Tony and Mabel Lou, 2004

Tony met Mabel six years ago when his mom and dad brought the kids to visit me for a month. Five people in my house for a month... It was freaking awesome! Their family is so laid back and easy... The worst part was... I got a job designing all the props for a t.v. show and I couldn't play tour guide as often as I liked but it was so much fun to have them here! And the best part was watching Tony fall in loerve with my girl. Those two took to each other like Mabel to water! I've always said Mabel's deepest wish is for a boy of her very own and for a month, she had one!

The love affair hit the skids the day Mabel bit Tony in the butt though! He was standing on the steps of the pool playing keep away with his dad and brother and Mabel ran up and nipped him. Oh, he was devastated! His mom checked and there wasn't even a mark on his heiny but Tony was wounded to the core!

Com'on Mabel Lou! Tell us how you REALLY feel about Tony!

I sat him down and explained a bit about dog body language. How Miss Mabel will bite another doggie on the tail when she wants him to play with her. Tony got a kick out that! "Mabel thinks I'm a dog!" The love affair was back on!

And while the two have not seen each other in years, I have no doubt Mabel would curl up in Tony's lap if she saw him today.

So it makes it all the sweeter that this teenager - one of the sweetest I've ever known - would name his puppy after my girl. Meet Tony's Mabel. (She's the one with the dark face.)

She's already got Tony wrapped around her little paws!

Tony's dad calls her "Mabel Lite." And if she's anything like her namesake, this picture tells me the family is in trouble!

Welcome to the family Mabel Lite!!!

Her Evening Dip - By the Numbers

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Goodbye Small Town; Hello Greed

I love that the town I live in is small. It feels so remote, it's hard to believe that I can be in downtown Los Angeles in 20 minutes. One of the most adorable things about my town is the annual Watermelon Festival. It's a charming, small town affair with seed spitting contests, over-priced vendors (that I assumed shared their profits with the Lion's Club sponsors),  and a Watermelon Queen.

I've taken friends and family there over the years and all have enjoyed it. But this year, I was shocked that the Lion's Club had fenced off the local park and were charging admission. Apparently, they did this last year too but I was teaching that weekend. Last year, they charged a buck... this year... double that! I was so offended, I left!

I could understand it if they charged for the watermelon they give away, but to charge to walk the midway at a carnival??? HELL NO! 

I've rarely spent more than an hour there... it's small town and a small park. Eat some watermelon, chat with neighbors, buy some overpriced crafts and some food to go and I'm on my way home.

I have to wonder if this is the Lion's way of keeping our local homeless population (that often sleeps there in the park) out?  Whatever the reason, it just feels wrong! No other street fair in LA charges admission! They all hope you will spend money while there.

This is just tacky and greedy!

Incensed, I drove to my BFF's house  - another lovely thing about this neck of the woods, my closest friends all live within 10 minutes of my door... a first for me in Los Angeles! I dashed in and complained about the admission fee and excitedly stated, "I have to go. I'm so hungry!"

I had planned on eating lunch at the festival. She stopped me. She had cooked for some house guests who never showed up. "Sit down," she said.

She brought me an exquisite meal with apple pie and ice cream for dessert.

At least some people here still have their hearts in the right spot.

Pretty Girl in the Evening Light

Sa ---Sa---SA - SNAKE!!!!!!!!!

I went on an evening hike with my pool man a/k/a 'tilla boy's dad last night. He had found a cool skeleton and I wanted to photograph it. We never found the skeleton but Tilla, Mabel and I all walked within inches of this guy - oblivious!!!

The pool man saw it and told me it was a king snake. I'm of the mind that the only good snake is a dead snake! ICK!!!

Bart's Walk

Did you see??? He takes himself for a walk.

It warms my heart to know that this dog that others had given up on has a second chance at life... a good life with people who love him and train him and get him lots of exercise.

Making Himself at Home

Bart comes over to visit us from time to time. (i.e. when he and his mom get too hot on their runs!) This is what he does:

And Miss Mabel Lou doesn't seem to mind!

Peacocks on Video!

I was heading to drop off the BFF and Bart after our morning hike yesterday when I noticed a peacock male yearling stealing tomatoes. The BFF has a lovely video camera that unlike mine...does not make an annoying clicking sound!

Here's the little thief in action.


We were about to head on up the mountain when I noticed the mom with four chicks and and the childless peahen out for a stroll as well. Since Velvet admitted she had never seen babies before, I've been trying to catch this group on video. They are much larger than my last set of pictures.

We Interupt This Blog...

...for a little piece of heaven




O.K. Now on with your day.