Turkey Travels

Another year of travelling to Ulen, MN for Thanksgiving. That means at least 3 and a half hours in the car. And that's long, especially when my brother and I both have our laptops, but only one can run on the power from the cigarette lighter. I usually end up being the one who runs off battery, and then puts the computer away. It was ok though, because I slept on the ride up, and we watched Hellboy on Matthew's computer on the way home. But it's still a long trip in the back of a compact car. Because our father just had to drive the sedan that he and my mom bought a couple weeks ago, rather than driving the station wagon (which would have allowed for much more room). However, it wasn't like we could just stay home this year. Dad's mom (our grandma) is getting older, and it's more than likely these next few years will be our last. I didn't want to stay home, and then have this be the last Thanksgiving where Grandma was around.

Rusty stayed home and hung out with Matthew's fiancee, Kristi. On Thursday, she felt bad for him, so she took him over to her house to hang out with her family and their dogs. Everybody loves him, even though he broke into their supply of dog food. That's my dog. He'll be happy tonight, because my mom is coming over with more dog food for him (I will pay her back, of course). Not that I didn't have any left, but I figured it was better to be prepared for the time when my current supply had been depleted. So Rusty was pretty happy when I got home, even after spending some time in his kennel. I wasn't too worried though. He likes being in his kennel, he goes in there sometimes while I'm puttering in the kitchen and lies down.

And the Vikings won again on Sunday! I figure if I keep predicting that they're going to lose, eventually I'll be right. And I don't want to say they're going to win, just to have them lose. I hope they keep Brad Johnson on. He seems to be doing a pretty good job. Daunte who?

Eating

Oh greatest joy! Bubo the boa constrictor has finally eaten! He hadn't eaten since I moved, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I did offer him food, but he wasn't interested. Last night, though, he decided mice were yummy again. Now I can stop worrying about whether or not he's going to be okay. So please don't post comments about how neglectful I am. I took care of snakes all the way through college and I've had Bubo since 1999, so I do actually know what I'm doing. Got it?

I haven't been good about posting lately. That's what comes from finding a boy online and spending all sorts of time with him. And when we're not together in person, we're talking on the phone or online. Rusty's adventure is figuring out how he's going to deal with having to share his Mama.

Stinkiness

Rusty is the smelliest dog ever. I always have to warn people when they come over to visit that Rusty is stinky. I warned Chad (now known as Teddy), but I don't think he believed me because the first time he came over, Rusty farted and he was amazed at the smell. Dog farts tend to permeate the atmosphere. Some people might choose to give him back to the shelter, but I grew up with a stinky younger brother. Besides, Rusty and I were instant best friends. And we still are.

And, yes, Teddy is officially my boyfriend. (see yesterday's comment) He was cute when he asked. Yes, girls, there are still nice guys out there. You just have to weed through the creeps and jerks (of which there are a lot). Don't be afraid to be yourself. Things work out better that way. But don't call me Dear Abby, because that's the only advice I plan on giving.

Rusty wants everyone to know that he's still hungry, even though he had a big dinner. If you have any extra food, feel free to send it along his direction. In fact, if you have children who won't finish their dinner, he'll gladly eat their food for them. Or if your kitchen floor needs washing, he'll come over and lick up any minute traces of food that are left. And he would love to be invited to a picnic. (Note: I do feed him plenty. He's just a little beggar)

Magnetic Poetry

I finally put all of my magnetic poetry up on the fridge. Now that I have a fridge to put magnetic poetry on. I'm going to make a whole bunch of poems, and then I'll post them all in a bunch. Maybe I'll just take pictures of them and post the pictures. I've done that before with a magnetic poem. I didn't have a piece of paper handy to write the poem down, so I just used my digital camera and took a picture. That way I had a record of it. I hope Rusty doesn't decide that the little words would be a tasty snack.

It's cold and windy outside today. On days like this, I miss the summer being out on the lake fishing. But as it gets colder, the fish get more dormant. Sometimes I wish I lived where I could go fishing all year long (without having to go ice-fishing). My dad doesn't go ice-fishing. He says it kills the fish, you can't catch and release (which is what we normally do). And next summer, now that we know Rusty will ride in the canoe nicely, it will be even better because I won't have to leave Rusty on shore. He likes riding in the canoe and looking at the fish and drinking the water in the middle of the lake. As long as he doesn't try to climb out, everything is fine. I want to go fishing!

Rusty woke me up at 7:30 this morning. Far too early, considering I didn't get home until after 12:30 last night. So I got up, let him out, turned on cartoons, and promptly fell asleep on the couch (after he came back inside). I had strange dreams about what was happening in the cartoons. Tonight (and the rest of the nights this week), I'm planning on going to bed earlier. We'll see how well that works out...

I'll be in trouble at work tomorrow, because I still don't have a picture of Chad to show my coworkers. I have a picture of his cat, Socks. They'll get over it.

Rusty has finished his antibiotics for his UTI (urinary tract infection) yesterday, and he isn't as urgent about having to go potty anymore. And he doesn't pee in his kennel, though that could have something to do with the Rescue Remedy (a natural relaxant) that I give him before I leave. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did! So I'm happy with how things are going on that front. Not having to clean up dog pee from my house makes me much happier.

Rusty Speaks

Today when Mama came home from work, she wasn't alone! Usually, she comes home from work and I yell at her to let me out of my kennel so I can get a drink of water and then go outside and potty. And she's always by herself. But today, she had this boy with her. I wasn't sure what to think about that. The only other people besides Mama that ever come over have been Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Matthew, Kristi and some friends of Mama's from college. But I think this might be the boy that Mama has been talking to since a week ago Tuesday. Whenever she talks to him, she's really happy and she gives me lots of kisses on the ears and on the face. There used to be a boy that lived here, but while Mama was on vacation, he went away and I haven't seen him again since Mama came back. So I'm really used to it being just me and Mama.

Anyway, she came home from work and this boy, Chad, was with her. He gave me a cookie. I wasn't too sure if I liked him or not at first, but Mama seemed to like him and she smiled and laughed a lot while he was here. I even got to sit on the couch next to them while they watched a movie. And Chad scratched my neck, just the way I like. I had two people spoiling me and loving me for the evening (not that Mama can't do it well enough on her own or anything). But I think that sometimes Mama gets lonely, even with me around. I can't exactly talk to her or laugh at her jokes. I just sleep. I want Mama happy, because when she's happy, she plays her piano and sings to me more often. I like when Mama plays her piano.

Don't tell my Mama I told you, but she's been kinda crabby and sad lately. So she'd sing, but not very often, and not as pretty as she can when she's happy. I guess it's ok with me if Chad hangs around. As long as he keeps making my Mama happy, I'll be happy.

Love, Rusty

I remembered finally

I finally remembered the last time I had as much fun on a date as I did on Saturday:

Never.

Because hanging out with my brother (see picture) doesn't count as a date. Besides, the last time we hung out, he had to dismantle his steering wheel so he could get his key out of the ignition and then turn off his truck. Then, he locked his keys in the truck. But we had fun sitting on the back of his truck in the parking lot waiting for the spare key to arrive. Don't give us churros and a digital camera, though. You can see what happens. We're hilarious.

So, I'm more than happy about the way Saturday went. Tomorrow night is dinner at my house.

And I got a message from a pastry chef in Minneapolis saying "I like your smile. Let's chat!" I still have to decide how to respond to him politely, but still tell him that I'm not really interested. He offered chocolate, but I don't have a problem deciding between chocolate and compatibility. Even when I'm having my period. Chocolate or compatibility... Chocolate or compatibility... I think I have to go with compatibility and someone who makes me smile and laugh. I have to go with the one with whom I have a lot in common. It's that easy.

Rusty's snoring. He just spent an hour eating a rawhide treat, and now he's exhausted. What a workout. But it makes him happy, so I'm happy. Even if he did go drink the toilet after he finished his treat. And I don't mean a few laps, he drank the toilet. The water level went down visibly. Strange dog. Cute, but strange.

And that's the adventures for today. More later.

I'm sleepy today

Wireless internet is a great thing to have. Maybe if I didn't talk on the phone and then chat online so long into the night I wouldn't be tired. However, the conversations haven't been boring. Having a life outside of work, Rusty and family is turning out to be a lot nicer than I could have hoped for. And within the conversations, there's only been one topic that I wasn't ready to deal with yet. So I just didn't say anything, and that seemed to work out. It will have to come up eventually, but I'm banking on having a little while before it happens.

Election Day: Everybody needs to vote today! You have a voice, so use it!

Now what do I do?

I certainly hope Rusty starts having some adventures. After yesterday's date (and then talking online until 4 in the morning), the possibility that I'll be taking down my profile is very high. At least for as long as the relationship lasts (I'm not making any predictions either way). I was rather thinking that I'd have to go through a few creeps and freaks before finding a nice guy. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Though, I did have one 19-year-old offer to pleasure himself while I watched. Forgive me if I don't reply, and report you to the provider. Sometimes it's easy to decide how to respond to someone.

I'm pretty happy with the way this week has gone. And my brother told me a pretty funny joke. Why does a chicken coop have 2 doors?

Scroll down for answer.....














Keep going.










Because if it had 4 doors, it would be a chicken sedan.

LOL! I think it's funny. Now go tell it to everyone you know.

Over and out.

An Actual Date

It's a red-letter day. (I know, I know- not funny, but irresistable). I didn't want to say anything before it happened (so as not to jinx it), but I actually met someone with the online dating thing that I actually wanted to meet in person. This, however, only occured after extensive instant message conversations, and a brief phone conversation (see S.S.? I am being careful). I was still nervous about meeting in person, because there's always the fear of something going wrong. Like, "What if he thinks I'm ugly in person?" Or, "What if we have nothing to talk about?" While I'm not sure about the first one, I can say the second item does not appear to be a problem. We talked and laughed for most of the day (except for during the movie). This is unusual for me, since I don't usually get terribly talkative with a person until I'm really comfortable with them. I had a great time (though Rusty wasn't too happy when I finally got home).

I think what worried me the most was just that I would be different than he expected. I know that I can be quite a character, and hard to predict. And I can be a bit scattered in my conversation topics, jumping around quite nimbly. There's also the fact that my last few dates (the ones before online dating, the ones with my ex) always started out with arguing about whether or not someone was going to be in a good mood. It was nice not to have to worry about that.

Now I have to placate Rusty... Except he appears to be my best friend again, after having been outside and eaten dinner. So all is right with the world.

No picture today. Go look at pictures in the other posts (or on my web site) if you really need the visual stimulation, maybe next time I'll have a picture to put up.

Snoring

So Rusty snores. And in the middle of the night, he wakes up and licks himself, which then wakes me up. If I act like I haven't woken up, everything is cool. Otherwise, I get yelled at to get up and let him out to go potty. Not at 2 in the morning. Not on your life. This isn't as mean as it sounds. He can hold it, he just thinks that me being awake is the signal that it's time to get up.

I really did catch this fish. My brother and I had a "Littlest Big Fish" contest this summer, and this was the winner. Second place was a 5-inch northern pike (caught by me, with no picture). Now I can look at this while I'm sitting in my house with snow outside, freezing, and remember how nice it is to be fishing in the sun in the warm summer. Even Rusty likes to ride in the canoe and go fishing. He has to be reminded not to get too excited when we catch any fish. Otherwise, he lies in the middle and sleeps. It's better than having him peeing and howling in the cabin.