Naked Dog Update

So, we've figured out what Jessi-Lou is allergic to - mosquitoes! I slathered her up pretty well on the 4th, but she still got bit once on the head, which turned into an ugly spot. She then got bit again on the side (we actually killed the bugger that got her... while it was on her...), and it's been bothering her for a few days. Her hair is growing back in nicely, but she still looks somewhat pathetic.

Independence Days.... um.... yeah... I've transplanted more peppers and tomatoes, but need to transplant more... and we ate the first ripe tomato yesterday at dinner. Jessi actually pulled it off a plant and it ripened in the window, but it still counts (and it was still better than the store-bought one we used with it). There are two more tomatoes turning reddish - one will be ready in a few days, the other one might be a week or so. We also used quite a bit of parsley for goodies over the weekend of the 4th. One of these days, I'll catch up and write the actual post to go with this...

--Erika

Photo Updates

First, things growing...
These eggplant (Thai Yellow Eggplant) were transplanted last week and have really taken off...
From top to bottom - Royal Purple Basil, King of the North Peppers, Ilini Star Tomatoes, and a tomato I have forgotten the name of (it's yellow).

Beautiful, sweet smelling, no longer in bloom - lilac...
One of my MIL's favorite - columbine

Then, my poor, pathetic-looking, fur-less dog... the following picture is not for the faint of heart... We thought she had one 'hot spot' on her side, and a few on the side of her face. The vet started with where we thought there were spots, and just had to keep going. Any thoughts as to what allergy she has (as the vet has determined that her issues are an allergic reaction) would be greatly appreciated!

--Erika

Pay Attention

This is what happens when you take pictures of your dog, with the flash on, without realizing that it's set on night time mode...
That would be Jessi, eating peanut butter...

--Erika

That Darling Dog

Mrs. Jessi Marie Wigglesnort Queen III is a royal pain in the arse sometimes. For example, the neighbors are fixing up the outside of their house (new siding, replacing windows, painting, etc.). Apparently, Ms. JMWQIII doesn't agree with their choice of hired hands, so she barks. And barks. And barks. What's worse - one of the "hired hands" is one of our other neighbors. I'm trying to teach her to only bark when someone is of a real threat (a.k.a. in our yard, trying to get into our yard, not just someone in the neighbor's yard...), but that's not working out too well.

Ms. JMWQIII is currently serving time in her crate for barking... for the fifth time today - and she's only been up since 9:45! (less than 3 hours!) I guess I should go let her out and see if she's figured out that barking at the painter = "go home" (her command to go into her crate) and no play time.

Darling... adorable... Jessi.

Independence Day News...

Not that there is anything special about my news today... it's just news. Headline: the MacBook I've been jonesing for, for months finally materialized today! In other news: THREE DAY WEEKEND!!! Booring middle story: The most pressing homework I have for this weekend is to draw something with the theme of "Zebra and Shoes" for my art class... Sad news: For those that haven't heard yet, my grandfather passed away last week. Closing news: Jessi Marie is becoming a pansy. She's never been afraid of thunder or fireworks, and last night, I had to give her "pet rescue remedy" 'cause of the thunder and fireworks. Note: do NOT give Mrs. Wigglesnort the full dose of "pet rescue remedy" unless you are prepared to CARRY her everywhere - I've never seen a drunk dog, but watching her last night... makes it nary a stretch to imagine one.

--Erika


P.S. I've been waiting to say this: made on a mac

:-)

Bad Erika Blogger... Three Links and No REAL Posts!

It SNOWED on my birthday! Yea for me! Granted, I had to drive in it more than play in it, but I did get to dance in it and catch snowflakes on my tongue!

I'm really at a loss as to what else to say. My life currently revolves around homework, preparing for classes, quelling my urge to bake/experiment/otherwise mess up the kitchen, and sleep. In other news, I really need to get some more plain yogurt for Jessi Marie, or have B get it - it REALLY helps with, um... puppy gas. One spoonful every time she is fed makes a HUGE difference in the nastiness of the odor she emits. I think it might reduce the quantity, but I won't make any crazy claims here.

I think that'll do it for now.

--Erika

Link of the Week

Do you trust the government? I don't.

Certain folks say I'm becoming militant. I disagree. How do you act when your health and safety is in question? Okay, maybe I agree - I am becoming militant, but I think it's healthy. :-)

On a brighter note, Mrs. Wigglesnort got to play with Mr. Baby K (Kalani) this weekend, and both of them are passed out under my feet as I type this.

--Erika

Spoiled or Neglected Puppy?

I'll try to be nice about this, but there's really no way around it. The Friday evening conversation went something very much like this:
E: "B, Are you going to Costco this weekend?"
B: "Hadn't planned on it."
E: "Mrs. Wigglesnort needs food."
B: "I'll get there sometime this week."
E: "She won't make it beyond Monday's dinner."
B: "YEAH, fine, I'll get her food, now leave me alone."
E: "I can go tomorrow on the way home from my test."
B: "NO.... I'll get it."
E: "Are you sure?"
B: "What did I say? I'll get her food, okay!"
E: "Thanks, remember she needs it by Monday night."
B: "Got it."

Fast forward to Monday night (tonight):
E: "Did you go to Costco?"
B: "WHY would I have gone to Costco?"
E: "To get Jessi food. She doesn't have enough for breakfast."
B: "Why didn't you tell me?"
E: "I did. You said you'd get it."
B: "You're imagining things. Give her some lunch meat or something."
E: "Where is it?"
B: "IN THE FRIDGE, where else would you put it?"
E: "I don't know, I don't eat it."
B: "This fridge is way too full, you should clean it out."
E: "Are you going to remember to get Jessi some dog food tomorrow? She doesn't even have enough for dinner tonight."
B: "Yeah, whatever." (walks away)

So... this is what Jessi had for dinner tonight:So, what do you think, spoiled or neglected?

--Erika

Shopping...

So B and I started and finished our shopping for Christmas today. I'm proud that we're done, and most of the things we got for folks didn't make me cringe. B commented that some people would be SO fun to buy for - the folks who love the tacky decorations all over - but we don't really know anyone like that. Good thing too, 'cause that would make me cringe.

Princess Goopy Eye (A.K.A. Mrs. Wigglesnort) appeared to have had a problem remaining on her four paws today. She nudged me when she came in the door when we got home. I looked down on my leg where she had plowed into me and saw a large brownish splotch. It wasn't the same color as the mud she gets into, so I was immediately suspicious. One sniff confirmed it - I'd been poopified! YUCK! I was just glad it was B's turn to bathe her. On a side note, she smells REALLY good now!

I also did some math tonight. Did you know that for every minute I am in class next quarter (440 minutes per day, 2 days per week, 2 of those days are holidays, which makes 17 days) My tuition works out to 55 cents PER MINUTE?! I want to know where it all goes! (Try it - $4,101 for the quarter)

On to happier things... I've updated my wish list... again! Maybe I'll go work on that some more before I go to bed...

--Erika

Finals Week, etc.

Finals week for Fall 2007 is here... ACK. I have a big project for my science class that was half done, then I decided to change the topic yesterday. All I have left to do are add some goals and make it look pretty! I think (hope), everything else is pretty much done.

As for Mrs. Wigglesnort, her new nickname, Princess Goopeyeye, is starting to fit once more. It's not nearly as bad as before Dr. C. flushed out her eyes, but it's certainly not normal. She doesn't seem to mind. She's been busy chewing off the box that B and his dad built to cover a faucet (they knew she'd eat up the Styrofoam kind), chewing up anything else we leave out in HER backyard. After the storm (the one that flooded most of the South Sound), the weather guys said it was not windy, and about twenty minutes later, her kennel blew over. She seems to think this is great - we can't put her up!

In other news, the Christmas Tree is up. It's a pre-lit tree, which basically is a sales ploy. "We've already put the lights on here, so you don't have to!" That really means that they've put green wires on a green tree and marked them with green print on green paper to tell you where they go. So far, only the bottom 1/5 of the tree is lit.

That's a lot of writing. Time for a *new* feature!!! Erika's Random Link of the Week! This week's link is in tribute to all those people who think "OH, CRAP, Erika's a vegetarian psychopath, isn't she!" Granted, I'm not a vegan, but this blog is worth the recognition. "What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway" is this week's Random Link of the Week! It features pictures and recipes of daily eats of a couple of vegans!

Maybe my link of the week will turn into something more frequent, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

--Erika

I'm Obsessed With My DOG!

This is an unretouched photo (I only rotated it) of Mrs. Wigglesnort.

Enjoy.

--Erika

Jessi Marie Wigglesnort Queen III

Isn't she adorable!?!?! I know I'm a dork, but I had to share this adorable picture of JMWQIII. She was looking at me, and then she heard the wind blowing through the blinds....

--Erika

It's Been a While...

I just got home from the only coffee shop open past 7pm in this town. I only got about half of the homework I planned on getting done, done. [Edited for sanity.]

Okay, I should keep this civil. In other news, B has the last show of the year tomorrow. He spent most of the day today setting up. We also found out that Jessi Marie has been barking non-stop after I leave in the mornings. Poor neighbors.

Alright, back to the unending list of things I need to do... it never seems to get shorter, and because I don't have a "real" job, a certain someone keeps insisting I have time to do their share too. Wow... I thought I could stay civil, guess not.

--Erika

Thursday the 13th...

This picture was taken back in 2004 while I was hiking at Mt. Baker. It's here simply because I'm having fun with high speed internet!

This was the last day in the fourth teacher's class I've been in at KMS. It would be a very tough decision if subject matter wasn't a factor. However, it will still be a difficult decision even considering there is only one teacher that is teaching science (no math teachers...).

Jessi Marie had to go to the vet today. Poor puppy woke up yesterday with TONS of eye goo, today, I had to hold a wet rag on her eye to help her open it. In addition to getting drugs for her eye, she also got her shots. Poor, Poor Puppy... Did I mention she gave B a hard time when he took her to the vet!? She wouldn't go in the door, didn't make B very happy.





Off to make dinner... joy... Oh, thanks again Mom for highspeed!





--Erika

And It's Raining... Suprised?

So, classes start tomorrow for the kids in BSD! Two days down, 180+ to go! I still haven't been assigned a teacher yet, but I'm not too concerned - it'll definitely be a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade class - which is SO much better than K-4! (I'm leaving 5 out, I still haven't formed a complete opinion of fifth graders yet.)

I think Jessi Marie knows that I'm going back to school and that today is just a holiday. She's been ultra cling-y and had a very sad look on her face most of the day. We have a foot stool in between a table and chair in the living room, which happens to be right in front of her "spot" where she sits with her chin on the window sill and looks out. So, today, instead of just going to the other side of the window - Jessi (the adorable 70 pound "lap dog") crawled UNDER the table to get around the stool. Now this table isn't very big - it could easily fit inside her crate or dog house, so you can imagine how bad Jessi wanted to look out *her* window...

I also baked Chocolate Zucchini Bread (see below) today. It isn't overly chocolate-y, which is what I was nervous about when baking such a loaf. The only complaint I have for this one is that it says to wait 20 minutes before removing the bread from the loaf pan - GOOD LUCK. unless you line your pans with parchment paper, removal is much easier said than done. Other than that, it's a wonderful sweet bread - not too crispy outside, still moist inside.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 ounce melted Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
2 t vanilla extract
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 c. grated zucchini

I mixed everything except the flour together, then sifted in the flour and mixed well. The batter seems a little runny, but don't worry! Grease 2 standard loaf pans (see my comment above) and preheat the oven to 355. Pour batter into the loaf pans and bake for an hour (or as needed for the toothpick test). Wait 20 minutes after removing loaves from oven before removing bread from pan.

I also made some great oatmeal raisin cookies too... I'll update with pictures and a recipe in a week or so when B and I FINALLY GET CABLE INTERNET!!! WOOHOO!!! (Thanks, Mom!)

--Erika

Back to School

My last day of "summer." POOHEY! I've gotta meet K for carpool at six thirty in the morning - about three hours after my usual bed time. It's gonna be a LONG day! We'll have four days with our cooperating teachers, then the kiddos start school next week. I'm half excited and half terrified - the "2nd" graders I had this summer were cruel, so how cruel can 6th, 7th, and 8th graders be!?!?! In other news, Mrs. Wigglesnort is going to have a long day as well - I don't think she's been in her kennel with the door closed at all since summer quarter finished. I guess she'll have to get used to drinking out of a bowl instead of her faucet. HA!

I have about twenty hours of stuff I want to do, and I should be heading to bed in six or seven hours... so I should quit procrastinating and get to work.

Turning from the dark side...

I never thought I'd actually begin to PREFER using a mac over a PC. However, since our class started using macs for one of our classes, and I'm actually being "forced" to get used to it, I must admit, macs are growing on me.

Things I find myself looking for on my PC:

• volume keys on the number pad


• the dock


• the open apple key


• the "I don't crash" button


• microphone


• camera


• the ability to multitask without needing saluted (see below)

Things I'd miss about a PC:

• Right Click!


• Boss is coming button (clear screen)


• Three fingered salute


• extra software


• Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, what one are we on?????


• slowness all around

So, there you have it - another "die-hard" PC user finally hoping to leave the dark side for a mac!

-Erika

P.S. I can't help but continue to brag about my adorable dog... Here's Jessi Marie trying to "get" the water coming from the hose spray nozzle.