Happy Howl-O-Ween!

Abby Lab here, rocking my Howl-O-Ween costume where I am trick or treating in the You-Pee-S guy's uniform.  Mom wouldn't give me a brown truck through, just a box to deliver.

You have to go see everyone's costumes for the Blogville Howl-O-WeenParade today at

• Murphy and Stanley

• Oreo's Cookie Jar

Have a great day and enjoy the extra TREATS!

Sunday Black and White

"Sigh - The Chewy Box is Empty"

I'm HOME!

My husband is a Mechanical Engineer.  Or at least he TELLS me he is.  :-)  For you see I've never actually seen his workplace or a paycheck, but large amounts of money just show up in our savings account.  I tease him a little about it.

I just returned from a week visiting my 97-year-old Dad and on the clothesline downstairs where my husband had done some laundry while I was away, were all these gloves.  Dozens of gloves, all stained with dark rust like colors that wouldn't come out.

I hear the back door open, then footsteps in the kitchen followed by a creak at the top of the stairs .. . I peer up and ask him as I hold up one of the creepy stained gloves.

"So babe - tell me again - mechanical engineer . . . or serial killer?"

I think I made him snort his beer.

You all have a safe, and sane weekend. Abby was quite happy to see me and I'll have another post up this weekend after I spend some time with both of them.

We Will See You Next Weekend.

I'm heading west to spend some time with my Dad who is 97 and in declining health.  Abby Lab will be home with my husband who is staying behind as he has a local grandma who is doing very poorly and he needs to be close by in case she passes away and he's also in the middle of installing all of our storm windows for which he installed new glass this year.

I will miss them both, and Blogville, but Dad does not have internet and though there is wifi at a local coffee stand, it won't let me post things on blogger due to their wifi security restrictions so I"m not toting a laptop out there.

Pray for safe travels for me and I hope to talk to you all sometime next weekend on my return. (where I will probably weigh 3 pounds more because of the Tillamook Marionberry Pie Ice Cream)

See you all at the Halloween Paw-rade!

LB

PETFLECT Reflective Vest - It's Good to be Seen

It's getting dark and darker out earlier now with winter approaching.  Abby's Dad walks her before dinner every night on the leash.  Our street is not lit all that well so sometimes it's hard to see a black dog in the blackness.  So I got a Petflect brand reflective vest from Chewy.com.  It was less than $12 and has velcro straps that secure underneath the neck and belly.  Abby didn't fuss at all when I put it on (she wears a harness while in a vehicle). It's available in orange and yellow.  Some of the sizes in orange are sold out, but yellow appears available on their website today in most sizes.  Abby - at 81 pounds wore the "Large" well, it wasn't too big and it wasn't too snug. The Velcro stays secure but I'm pretty sure if she got tangled up on something she could pull it free without harm.

We got the Blaze orange, the same color hunters wear and recognize.  

The package sizing is a little more detailed: Although it states "Large" goes up to 130 pounds, based on the size fitted for Abby, I do not believe that it would fit a dog that big unless it was fairly small in chest and neck for a dog that big. They have an EXTRA large that is said to go to 130 pounds and an EXTRA small for dogs under 15 pounds.

SMALL                                       MEDIUM                           LARGE
under 25 pounds                        26-60 pounds                    61-130 pounds
neck 16.5 - 20.5"                        neck 20.5-24.75"               neck 24.75 - 28.75"
chest 25.25 - 28.75"                   chest 28.75 - 32.75"          chest 32.75 - 35.5"

Tree-rats Beware!  I'm dressed for the hunt!

I'm glad I got this for her.  It will help drivers see her during nighttime walkies, as the vest is visible from 500 feet and in the winter, when out in the yard, we can better keep track of her (we always supervise from the sunporch even when she in the fenced yard as there are coyotes around here).  The trim and pawprint are a special extra reflective material which is a nice touch and it's lightweight washable nylon. Chewy dot com had the best price but the vest is also available online at Tractor Supply Co., Amazon, WalMart, and Overstock.com. I picked up two of them, one for the house and one for the family SUV, in case we are traveling.

I know I will feel more secure when they're out walking at night now.

NOTE:  I did NOT see this vest for sale any longer at the Petflect website, as it appears they've upgraded to selling much pricier reflective service dog vests so if you want to get a nice, easy-to -wear vest for very little money now would be the time.

I know it's still light out Mom but can we go for a walk?

Not So Wordless Wednesday - Flynn

Meet Flynn - he's half Bloodhound, half Bassett Hound (yes). He and his puppy brothers and sisters and Mom (Bloodhound) and Dad (Bassett Hound) were left in a field to die last month in Texas. Whoever owned the land spotted them and called one of the rescue folks. Even as busy as everyone was with the hurricane, they were taken to safety. Flynn was really skinny and sick with hookworms.

One of the rescue ladies, a Facebook friend of mine who has two rescue Great Danes and is used to large breeds, said she'd foster a couple of the pups.  Her husband was a submariner like my beloved brother, though a different generation, and they are just the nicest young couple. Flynn needed some extra medical attention and lots of love but he finally started to eat and put on weight.   My friend REALLY bonded with this dog, who stayed with her longer than his sibling due to his poor health.  But with a young family, and being a stay at home Mom with a small sewing business on Etsy,  there just wasn't the hundred's for the adoption fee.

Some money magically appeared in her PayPal Account to pay for the adoption fees and a couple months of food and Flynn is now adopted and thriving with a beautiful little girl who loves to play with him. So from your "Aunty LB", welcome to your furever home Flynn!

A Barkley Memory - Visiting the Pet Store

Mom - I need more squeaky toys.  You leave, you're gone for days and you come home all tired out, without any squeaky toys.

I remember that day, my fiance (now husband)  was visiting me in Indiana and we had a few errands that needed to be run before our Fall wedding.

First a stop at the BigBox store for some cleaning stuff ("hey look - the WalMart Brand of foaming bathroom cleaner with "Scrubbing Bubba") and a trip to the UPS store to pick up all my mail.

Then off to PetsMart.  We'd not been to one before.  He had another groomer that was co-located with his doggie daycare, and most of the time when I needed something, I'd order it online.

But here we were, on our first trip.

 I wasn't sure how Barkley would do, as he hates tile floors, but once he saw all the toys and the smells and the other dogs, he just charged right in pulling his "Dad" like some sort of Nantucket Sleigh Ride.

Look! People!

Hmmm, giant tub of dog Cheetos or the chewy snacks. Can I have both?

I think we need the "Beware of Dog" sign to intimidate that wimpy mixed breed terrier next door.

Oh look, it's dog adoption day!  I'm so lucky to have a home, I hope some folks will take these dogs home today and give them treats.

From the distance came the sound of several squeaky toys going off in a single round and the rest of the pictures were just "dog shaped blur". 

He did behave himself at the check stand while his treats, a new leash and a  $1.99 sale toy were bagged up. (The duck was on sale apparently due to a pneumothorax.)

See Barkley - you behaved so you get a toy of your own.

squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeakkkkkkkkkkk!!!! OK, that's enough toy for now Barkley.

You can have my duck when you pry it out of my cold, cold jaws.

Yes, I think everyone had fun! (look carefully at the sticker on my shirt)

So many good memories Barkley while you were with us, and so many new ones now being made with our Senior rescue Abby Lab.  We miss you every day, but Abby has brought great joy into our lives.

Look Mom - I got a scarf from the PetSmart groomer that matches my squeaky elephant! 

Don't I look adorable?

Dogtoberfest

Octoberfest tonight at our church. Abby was unhappy it wasn't a Dogtoberfeset with sausages for the doggies.  

 Authentic German band, lots of food made by the church ladies, music, dancing, beer, and wine, and the evening just wouldn't be a Lutheran Octoberfest without half the church in the Bible Study hall doing the "chicken dance" to a trombone, tuba, and accordion. Lots of fun! And a great stress relief for all of the parishioners who were dealing with flooding.

The cornbread is not exactly German food, but it is a dish I'm always asked to bring.

LB’s church cornbread

Mix in very large bowl:

1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (ours was from Graue Grist Mill in Oak Brook)

1 Tablespoons baking powder

¾ tsp salt (if using salted butter further down in recipe, reduce to ½ tsp)

¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons white sugar

(2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread mix can be substituted for all of the above.)

In another bowl mix:

4 eggs (whisk before adding other ingredients)

2 cups sour cream (16 oz)

1 can cream style corn

Whisk 2 sticks of melted unsalted butter into the wet ingredients

Combine wet and dry ingredients in the largest bowl and stir until combined.

Cook in 13 x 9 pan sprayed with nonstick spray 350 F. oven for 40-45 minutes (ovens may vary slightly)

So Much for that Dry Spell

Abby Lab here - Mom and Dad's basement is flooded.  There have been almost six inches of rain since last night.  Two streets over the whole street is flooded a foot deep all away across the street, but our street is OK (as I think all the water went in everyone's basement).  Even the neighbor with the pump has water inside.

Mom said an HBO word - the brand new expensive sleeping bags (minus 30 degrees kind) were left on a cooler instead of being put on a shelf down in the basement when they arrived, and the cooler floated and one of them fell off and got wet.  Oops!

We'll see you all Monday, lots to do and clean up today and Mom is doing some cooking tomorrow for their church's Octoberfest! So Mom told me to just chill.

Reports from Telework Dog

Abby the Lab here with a report from home.  Mom was working on a big case and teleworked all week, which is great as I get to spend more time with her.  My dog walker still comes by and walks me as Mom usually spends her 30-minute lunch break getting dinner in the crockpot and starting a load of laundry.  So for tonight a recap of her typical day.


Secret Squirrel pops out of bed, ready to start the day.

First, a little walk to get the blood circulating.

A few reps on the workout bench.

This is NOT a yoga pose, someone is stuck.

What are the neighbor's up to?  If you see food, go over and say hello.

Look -  nuts!

What are YOU looking at.

This is Mom's professional telework attire.

No, not her Alma mater, but but it's soft and comfy (I slept on it while Mom took her shower, I wonder if she'll notice the dog hair)

Mom - it's too early to start the day.

Telework days go pretty quick,  as a lot of work can be accomplished with the quiet.  Let's see, I bet Mom can mark out where the witnesses were standing using Gumby and Pokey (hmmm - that might go over as well as the interrogatories with hand puppets).

At lunch - while Mom gets a bite and preps what she will cook for dinner later - I get a walk with my dog walker Jan. I get to sniff and see everything going on in our neighborhood.

While Mom gets back to work - focused and serious.

My job as telework dog is to nap on the futon in the office as the work day draws to a close. It will be quitting time before we know it.

Mom makes a final phone call to someone she needs a report from and puts together a hundred tiny, seemingly unrelated details to form a story.

Yay - she's done and I get playtime in the yard with Mom before she folds laundry and Dad comes home.

"Did you say walk?  Or Bacon?  They sound the same."

Before you know it the light was dimming and it was evening.  Mom didn't save the world or gather a bunch of nuts, but such days are productive days - especially with the best furry office assistant ever.

Animal Physics

A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force, such as the sound of a can opener.

I Know - A Memory of Barkley

I know when you eat, and what.

I know the moment your eyes open in the morning.

I know who you call by the sound in your voice.

I know how long the phone conversation lasts.

I know when you are approaching home, without your vehicle being seen.

I know when you are getting ready to leave.

I know exactly what you are saying, even if my vocabulary

consists of a few key words in your language.

I stick my nose in your business because I want you to be happy,

not because I don't trust you.

But if you tell me to desist, I will,

because even as I wish to monitor everything you do,

I know the private part of you is inviolate, even to me.

I'm not Big Brother.

I am your Dog.

--LB Johnson 

Sunday Black and White

Flower Friday

We're joining

• Da DB Boyz (Arty and Jakey)

Now, I just Need Opposable Thumbs.

Abby Lab here:

When Mom and Dad got married and Mom moved into Dad's house (she had already sold her big house and was just renting a two bedroom townhome), they ended up having "duplicates" of some tools and small household items. Mom gave all of her furniture, linens, and a lot of decorative pieces to a young couple who had lost everything thanks to a family disaster and had to move in with the young wife's parents. They were trying to adopt a baby, but even though they found another small rental house, there was no money to replace their furniture and household stuff.  They came over with a moving truck and some family and Mom's townhouse was cleaned out fast.  Mom was so happy to help them, and get rid of some nice things that Dad's house just didn't have room for (and a month or two later they adopted their baby boy!)

One thing she brought up to Chicagoland was a small box with some household tools and repair items. Things handy at the townhouse, but not really needed here.

So Dad "repurposed" a few of them.

Like this one, handy when Mom is trying to do something on the computer and muttering HBO words.