"I'm patiently waiting to get inside to MY BREAKFAST...com'on!!!!!!!!!" 

Old postcard

Postcard from my brother one summer when I was away at camp. Found it in a box of junk mom brought me from home 

Watching crane migration

LOTS of cranes at Jasper-Pulaski....the big gathering ground during fall migration. Took the parents there on Friday night. Too bad I couldn't record the noise of the birds! It was cool 

More cranes flying.... 

Cranes flying at sunset... 

A weekend get-away to visit the elusive red-billed Hovis

Going to a hike at Turkey Run State Park...it was lovely 

A peek into the fridge of an assistant professor.....at a big university. Kind of sad, isn't it.  

Ask the Expert

So the other day I was petting Maggs and began to wonder why she isn't ticklish. I, of course, decided to ask an expert....my friend Lizard. She sent back this comment from a memo-board-thingy on dog grooming:

"Hi there,
I'm not a groomer but I am a dog owner and I have a serious question that I'm hoping someone here may be able to answer. You see, my eight year old son (also an avid dog lover) spends much of his free time petting and playing with our three dogs. He has observed that none of our dogs are ticklish, a fact which I myself have since put to the test and found to be true. He asked me, Why aren't dogs ticklish to which I have no answer. I'm hopeful that someone may be able to shed some light on this subject. Are all dogs not ticklish and if so, why is that. Thank you. Dianna.

Posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - 4:08 am:
"They are ticklish..... :o) Your son just hasn't figured out where yet.
Right in front of the ear canal opening - the "guard hairs" that stand up right in front of the hole. Have you son GENTLY and SLIGHTLY flick the hair there. Just sort of tickle the HAIR there. The ear with start flicking because of it.
Also, some dogs are ticklish with their feet. When the dog is laying down, resting - you son can "tickle" the HAIR between the pads. The hair that sticks out above the pads.I would say more "bothered" than ticklish - - but you do get a reaction :o)
Being a surgical veterinary technician for 17 years - - the ear hair flick is a good test to see how anaesthetized they are (are deep they are) and helps them to recover from anaesthetic as well :o) It's like being ticklish, an unconscious response - something you have no control over....

Weekend update

Saw this in a newspaper article: "If you're a new parent, there will come a time when either you or your spouse will say these words: Let's take the baby to a restaurant" Now, to a normal, sane person; this statement is absurd. It's like saying: "Let's take a moose to the opera"."

Well....the husband took the Moose to the South Bend Symphony last night, not the opera. I think I was pretty well behaved. However, I've taken to burping a lot more lately (it's better than barfing, right!!!). Unlike my niece and brother, however, I am not skilled in "burping on command". I thought about apologizing in advance to the ochestra last night...but I did fine and was able to remain quiet through the whole thing. The most hilarious thing about the whole concert was the beginning. The conducter came on stage, we clapped, and then EVERYONE stood up....I mean EVERYONE. Chris and I looked at each other with confused looks. THEN THE ORCHESTRA BROKE OUT IN "The Star Spangled Banner" AND THE WHOLE AUDIENCE SANG ALONG. Can't say I've ever done that before at a symphony concert!!! Sure made it feel a bit like a baseball game. (speaking of baseball...I'm thinking Lizard and my dad are pretty happy about the Cardinals these days)

A walk in the woods....

Another picture of the man and his dog....Maggie had to be at the front of the line. Always!  

OK---now this picture says it all....Maggie is totally obsessed with Chris!!! Here they are on our walk in the woods. We had to go to Michigan to get to a nice woods. It was a beech-maple woods and I saw lots of nice plants! Like hepatica, wild ginger, partridge berry, ferns, etc.  

Quiz of the day

So I got home pretty late from work tonight because my boss has abandoned me for two weeks for a vacation Italy to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary. Hardly a reason to leave me alone in the crazy clinic so soon! I'm NOT happy about it at all and think that the "crazies" and the "worried wells" with laundry lists of problems are going to send me off the deep end. ANYHOOO.....called the husband at about 6:30 and he was still at work......shit...that means the DOG and the CAT were home alone FOR A VERY LONG TIME. Good thing I got the package from Jeffers with dog toys and treats yesterday so Maggs had lots of new things to play with. We find that during the course of the day she moves all her toys from the family room into the bedroom. The ratty old squirrel toy was up ON the bed tonight. No real destruction in the house....she just tore up an old sock. No big deal. C got home first and apparently had a time with the dog and cat. The cat snuck out (remember she's an INDOOR cat with no front claws and she is grey) while the dog was jumping around crazy-excited because he was home. I had to go out when I got home and find the cat. NOW FOR THE QUIZ!!!! I brought out the cat treats and the flashlight in order to find her. Why do cats eyes glow so much when I the flashlight shines in their eyes (therefore making it easier for me to find her in the dark)? It is one of my favorite words!!!

This was Sunday's lunch for the Husband. "Damn good lunch", he says.  

Cute picture of my friend Liz's dogs Jake and Bailey. I love how their tails wag together. They are outside the guestroom window. Wanting to come in!!!! 

Office space

Here is a picture of The Husband's office. You can't quite appreciate the enormous computer screen from this picture....but it is enormous. Notice only one coffee mug. Must be early in the semester! Ha!  

Weekend update

I'm so happy that it's finally cool and cloudy! I can't believe that I couldn't wait for it to cool down. I guess a whole summer of 90 degree days and a September full of 80 degree days has cured me of the need for sun every day. I think it is going to rain today. Good! Perhaps it's also because I often feel a bit cruddy these days and when the weather joins me in "cruddiness" it makes me feel better! Let's see....went to our neighbor's yesterday for a birthday party for her 90 year-old mother! Lots of family and friends were there....including the couple that used to own our house. They built it and raised three kids here. Obviously they are very proud of this house. We learned a few more tidbits of the history behind it...like how the fireplace in the family room is built like some down in Virginia (I think?) with two extra rows of bricks to keep the witches (!) away! And how some of his students stole a graveyard ornament and gave it to him (! Claims they couldn't find the grave it belonged to)....

Also, of course, watched some of the ND game and saw them sloppily beat Washington.

I take my National Boards this week. Wish me luck. Haven't been too good at studying but I figure that going to work each day is like studying. Dr. J is going to be out of town this week....ugh...I'm a bit nervous about that!!! OK---off to swim at the pool. My goal is to start exercising more now! especially since I"m retired from Ultimate!

Random tidbits

Out walking the dog in The Res last night (the small woods across the street from our house). I take two laps through and it only takes about 20-25 min. I've been craving a nice hour long walk in a fall woods lately. I asked a friend at work the other day about suggestions of where to go around here. Her response: "Go to Michigan".

During my walk I had an overwhelming craving (nostalgia?) for eating fresh peaches and real cream with sugar sprinkled on top. I remember eating this when I was a kid up at the cabin during August. Sitting at the kitchen table,probably in my swim suit with a towel wrapped around my waist and my hair still wet from a swim, reading Archie comics, and eating out of one of those little old white bowls.....Man...that was the life!

I think I'm starting to understand.........

First ND home game was this weekend and C and I didn't quite know what to expect. We got there at about 11:30 because we weren't sure how parking would be. A quick $10 down and we got a spot in a yard near campus. A yard a bit closer to the field was getting $30! The whole campus was full of students, families, alumni, and lots of energy. Everyone was wearing their ND gear. Barbeque stands all over--many done by student groups to raise money. We picked the Environmental Group stand because they had veggie burgers (a very good one!) versus the Ballroom Dancing club (nothing veggie). The game didn't start until 2:30, so we had more than enough time to walk around and experience the traditions. The Marching Band put on a concert and I decided that Marching Bands are kind of fun---if you were part of the percussion section. Something about the drums! Finally it was time to find our way to our seats. We are behind one of the endzones. Not great, but not too bad. The worst thing was that the seats are just thin wooden slabs and people are packed in like sardines. This stadium was made when the average American adult was about 50 lbs smaller than they are now! It was pretty warm, too, so the first half was a bit uncomfortable. C went and got more water and and an lemon icy for us to share during half and the sun wasn't so warm in the 2nd half. The whole 2nd half was so tense that I didn't notice how packed in we were. It was an exhausting experience....final score 44-41 bad guys! Overtime, too! C and I finally made it home by 8:30 and the only thing that sounded good for dinner for both of us was Mac and Cheese (this trend of mine is a bit disturbing). We were both asleep by about 9:45pm!!! Wow! Now I understand why this is such a big deal to ND students, alumni, etc. I now appreciate it, too. Living in SB/Mish where there really is NOT MUCH GOING ON and then 6 weekends of the year 80,000+ people descend onto the town for a weekend is pretty exciting. Anyone want to come down for the next home game???? 

Sorry---more dog stuff

You have to check out Maggie on the petrefuge website. She is listed as the 2nd "success story" on the front page. Also, there are some really cute pictures on the Pets Connect website of the 7 puppies and Mom from a photo shoot they did. Also, look at the extra pictures for Billy the Basset Hound. Get a load of those ears! They really have great pictures on this website.

I really can't keep up with Hobbled Runner in blogging. Sorry.....

Guess the big news is that I quit one of my jobs so I'm down to just one job. And I didn't barf this morning! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out the Notre Dame football game this weekend. Chris and I will be there. Somewhere behind one of the endzones.

Maggie's Adventures

MAGGIE SAYS: "LOOK WHAT I DID TO THE GARAGE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!