Glamour Skunk

We have one skunk left at the store, I'm hoping the owner keeps her. She has been named "Squirt", despite being de-scented.

Every day in the afternoon I take her from her cage and snuggle her for an hour or two. She's usually pretty sleepy about that time and is very pliable. Yesterday she napped in the toy dog-bed on the counter while I ran the register. It was pretty fun to have customers place something on the counter and jump when they realized she was real and not battery-operated.

Skunk fur is much softer than it looks, I initially expected it to be wiry and somewhat coarse, but it is very thick and lush. When she is in her relaxed state, she is very happy to be stroked and scratched behind the ears. When she is hungry, she is on the prowl and a little sharp and pointy in the teeth department.

Since the store was slow and Squirt was amiable, we took the opportunity to "pimp her out."

A leopard-print bow in her hair and a faux-pearl necklace made her a very fashionable picture, indeed.

Scott has told me that I cannot bring home a skunk, and I know she wouldn't get along with the cats, but I love her none the less.

RWC #3

"...the happier we'll be."

There you go.

Rather Domestic

I'm feeling very responsible.
Since the end of my shift at work (at about 7:45pm) I have:

• Bought enough dog food to last for about a month AND kitty litter
  
• Took out the garbage
• Went grocery shopping
• Made and ate a sandwich
• Made about a 1/2 gallon of salsa
• Made filling for enchiladas
• Emptied and refilled the dishwasher
• Fed the dog and cats

I'm planning to get up early (for me) tomorrow and put the enchiladas together. Maybe I'll thrown in some laundry folding if I'm extra-motivated.

Drawing a Blank

I haven't had much to say these last three or four days, I've been getting lots of wedding stuff done. I found dresses for the flower girls and ring bearer (yes, a girl) at Ross for $9.99 and $24.99 when I was prepared to spend upwards of $50 on each!

I've also been going ahead with plans around the house since it looks like we won't be moving anytime soon.

RWC #2

It's almost 1am... technically Friday...

Song phrase for this week:

"dark behind it rose the forest..."

Hints to come in comments if needed, I'm off to bed!

List This!

I am a list-maker.

At the moment I have countless lists going. I have an Access database of all the movies I've ever seen complete with the year they came out, lead actor and/or actress and director.

I have another Access database of our guest list for the wedding. An Excel spreadsheet for the wedding with several pages - budget, wedding party, locations, etc., a wedding planning book/filer with more lists and magazine cut-outs, and still another blank book for making random wedding lists off the top of my head that I don't think are ready to commit to the computer.

Over the years I have started several databases to catalog the books and cds I own, having to re-start them from time to time as I have had new computers.

In order to accomplish anything on my days off I have to make a list of things I want to get done. If I don't, I will wake up in the morning and honestly have a blank mind as to what to do for the day.

Awhile back I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I've actually crossed many of them off, and such progress caused me to add to it.

I have to have a grocery list, or I will go to the store for lasagna noodles and come out with cheese, veggies, ice cream, toilet paper, milk, bread, garlic, veggie crumbles and no noodles.

I have a blank book for budgets, which I've also found easiest to keep my checkbook register in as well.

I have lists of all the states I've been in and all the states I have yet to visit. Last night I actually wondered if it would be possible to list all the people I know, personally, as aquaintences, whatever - just because it would be interesting.

When I'm at work I'll make lists of things I want to make sure get done before the end of the shift. I make lists from other lists. A list of books people have requested that we carry, a list of dogs people would like us to get, a list of things to go back later and make more lists from!

If I go on a trip, I start about a month before hand making a list of what I need to take. On two occasions I have decided to skip the list and pack "on the fly" and have forgotten underwear, socks, toothbrush (although I remembered the toothpaste!) and other various necessities.

I even have a list saved on my desktop of things to blog about.

Meet Mr. Fleabus

This is Buster.

Buster is a VERY good dog. He turned 9 on July 30th this year and has a few grey hairs in his muzzle and on his back.

Scott inherited Buster as a two-year-old. His previous owners could no longer take care of him and Scott was fortunate enough to have the right connections to take him in.

I met Buster when I arrived in Key West last year. He accepted me very readily and it was easy to teach him that although he had been trained to chase cats up until this point, the NEW cats are "babies", which translates into "something not to mess with."

He is very respectful and knows that when we are eating dinner he needs to be in another part of the house and not beg.

Buster is the picture of loyalty. If Scott or I even joke about chasing one of the cats, Buster gets between us and the cat and barks. It's far worse if we even joke attack each other - he gets up on his hind legs and boxes us.

He will never look the cats in the eye, he knows not to intimidate them. On the other hand, he will also let the Hamster sit on his head.

He is known as Buster, Duster Boggie, Buddy, and Brown Thing.

I am officially a member of the Boxer party.

I Wish I Were a Cat

Sometimes it's hard not to be jealous of the fat fluff on my couch. Everyone loves him. He has won over people that don't even tolerate cats.

I would love to have people feed me, pet me and give me treats, be able to snort kitty weed, and watch the Hamster for entertainment.

His only concerns are if he is going to be allowed under the covers at night, and if he can commandeer the top roost on the cat tree.

He is fed a mixture of Eukanuba Lamb & Rice and Solid Gold Katzenflocken. Good stuff.

The Life of the Chou.

Reese's (New) Weekly Competition

I'll give you a phrase from a song and you name the song and if applicable, setting.

Here's the first one:

"...I'll never know what made it so exciting..."

And So What We Have Learned...

Today I learned about the lolrus and his bukket.

It's a fascinating saga, really. I had no idea.

My journey began on Slate, in an article about lolcats, which then led to the lolrus entry on urbandictionary.com and then on and on from there.

Poor lolrus.

Move!

Sometime in the next two to four weeks we will be moving. Our lease for the condo is up tomorrow (15th) and a friend of ours that has been renting a house is moving to D.C., so we're going to takeover the house.

I hate moving, but I'm excited about this one. The house has a fenced back yard which is FANTASTIC for Buster, and the house itself is very nice - the whole front room area is painted a dark red (which I love) and feels very open and modern. The only downsides are that there is only one bathroom (the condo has 2.5) and a very small kitchen. And no pool.

The condo is about 10 blocks from my work, and on the same street. The house is three streets behind the store and 2 blocks over. I won't have to tackle ANY main drag traffic to get there!

I suppose I'll live without the pool, I'll just have to go to the beach more often!

We'll most likely be in Key West for another year at least, unless something unexpected happens in Scott's job field and we are facilitated a move that is worth it. When that happens I would like to drive, as I enjoyed the cross-country trip before, but Scott wants to fly us and all the animals.

I'm hoping to rent a big Suburban or Van and just toss everyone in it.

The Battle Rages On

Today, Buster had a date with Bernadette. I found 4 fleas on him yesterday, and the saying is that for "every flea you see, there's 100 you don't see."

I suspect that ratio is a little exaggerated when it comes to Buster, since he has short hair, but I didn't want to risk it.

I am washing all his bedding, our bedding, and the couch cover.

I don't have any fresh bites, yet.

So, Buster got groomed today and came home with a "Jazzy Dogs" bandanna. Bonus!

Smelly.

Working at a pet store I encounter many different smells on a daily basis. Some are pleasant (clean puppy fur, dried fruits and nuts) and some are potently terrible (skunk poop, dead fish).

In the last few days I have had several transportations into my childhood thanks to smells in the store.

• Cedar bedding: reminds me of the summer I spent in Mt. Shasta riding horses with Meriah and Jason. At the beginning of the summer I couldn't stay on a horse even with a saddle, and by the end I could ride bareback on a horse that was trying to escape fireworks.
• Scratch (chicken feed): takes me back to spending time on my cousins' farm in eastern Washington. The house was in the middle of wheat fields and was a true old farmhouse. We passed the days wrapped in our imaginations, putting on plays and circuses in the hayloft, and avoiding fire ants while exploring the drainage ditch.

What smells transport you to another time and place?

Make Me a Samich!

My favorite food is cheese, and my favorite way to eat it is a grilled cheese sandwich.

I love sandwiches. I can usually find something to eat at any restaurant by choosing a sandwich.

When I was briefly attending Walla Walla College, the majority of my meals in the cafeteria (few, since I was a village student) consisted of a deli sandwich. Usually I chose Rye bread and slathered it with mayo on one side and cream cheese on the other. Then I would add cheese, tomatoes, sprouts and avocado when available. Tasty.

As a child, my parents would make hoagies and I learned to love Provolone and Pepperoncinis at an early age.

Last week Scott and I enjoyed lunch at Goldman's Deli, which is primarily a bagel shop and diner, and I had the veggie sandwich pictured above. It definitely ranks as one of the best I've ever had.

Fun Fotos of Feathers and Fur

I've decided to share some of the pictures I've taken at work over the last few months. Click on the thumbnails to see a larger version.

The first picture is of BamBam (a Blue and Gold Macaw) and a baby African Grey parrot. The owners of the store decided to keep BamBam once they realized how snuggly she is, even with their three dogs.

The bunny on the right is a half Dwarf rabbit and half Lop-ear rabbit. He was a rescue rabbit and was so docile you could hold him on his back cradled like a baby.

We have a fish department that has both freshwater and saltwater fish tanks around three sides of the room. Here is a Fantail Goldfish in one of our freshwater tanks.

Every couple of months we get baby Ferrets. This is a Panda marked female ferret. If Scott hadn't already had 3 ferrets before we met and sworn never to have them again, this little one would have joined the menagerie at home.

On the left is yet another picture of BamBam. Before working at the store I was never very interested in birds, but seeing BamBam and Q-Tip go from small prickly chickens to beautiful birds with a ton of personality has made Scott and I both fall in love with them.


Every week or so we bring in Betta fish. I brought home one and named it Won-Ton, following in the tradition of my previous Bettas: Hi-Ya, Kung Pao, and General Tso.

In addition to big birds, we have canaries, parakeets, and many varieties of finches. These are Owl Finches.

I have many more pictures of the baby skunks, but I really like this one. Even though they've been de-scented, they don't know that they can't spray, so their defensive reaction of tail-lift is still automatic.

Doing My Part

Do you know about Blackle?

Since I was using Google as my home page anyway, I've changed it to Blackle. Not tooting my own horn or anything, but I also try to keep lights off in rooms when I'm not in them, and I turn the thermostat up when I leave the house so the AC isn't running while we're not here.

I also walked to work today, but that has more to do with the fact that my car is dead.

8/10/07...It has been pointed out to me by Jake that it's all for naught.

"I Left My Heart... In Van-couv-er-o..."

I miss my house. I miss Andy. I miss my job at Clark County Title.

I miss my mom and Lou, Monica and John Paul and all the kids.

I miss rainstorms and Starbucks on every other corner.

I miss making more money.

I miss Bridge City, Kevin Brussett and EVERYONE there.

I miss Tim and Jim and the opportunity to record music.

I miss throwing dinner parties.

I miss Karaoke with Bob and Chelsea and Jared and Ivan and Rachel.

I miss "the silent game" in the pool.

I miss the rest of my books.

I miss Mt. Hood, the Columbia River and the Oregon Coast.

The Right Stuff

I am listening to the New Kids On the Block. Why? Because I have come to the realization that if I am not interacting with music in some way EVERY DAY, I am nothing.

I don't know how I let myself get into the rut forgetting that I act like I'm a stoned zombie stumbling through my life if I don't have music.

I have trouble getting motivated to write (blog, music, whatever), clean, anything but sleep.

I take an anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication, which helps, but if I listen to music, I'm actually better off than if I had the "best day ever" medicated or otherwise.

I'm not going off my meds... I'm just realizing that in order to kick my own butt into gear, I have to be listening to or making music.

My laptop is sitting on the kitchen counter hooked up to some external speakers (thanks, Dad!) and itunes is running a shuffle through my "old school" playlist. Consequently I've been cleaning and cooking nonstop for the last two hours.

Sounds like the Right Stuff to me.