Dog Shaming...

The other day we were watching a craptacular Roger Corman chunk called 'Camel Spiders' on TV, mostly due to the fact that it was shot at the old abandoned ore processing plant at Owens Lake, in and around the Alabama Hills and several other sites (hello Ranch House Cafe!) along Highway 395 that we know.

During the movie the kid went and got a couple of her toys to entertain Dusty.

She was less than excited. Dog 'Meh'. So the kid upped the ante. This one at least earned a confused look.

And yes, my kid owns several giant insects, she loves them. No Barbies for her.

The expression here is mostly, 'Oh, is this a thing? Are we doing a thing? What the Hell is goin' on here, mom?'

...and then back to Dog 'Meh'.

In other news, Dusty managed to injure herself up under her tail, then chew the spot raw and would NOT leave the damned spot alone. Yeah, Cone Of Shame time.

Rather that a true cone which she no doubt would have used to knock everything off dog-level tables and destroy furniture, we went with a towel safely wrapped around her neck, it works very nicely to keep her from chewing her sore tail. She gets around, eats & drinks just fine with it, but is horribly embarassed by it.

Plus I got that 'Seriously...?' look out of her. Yup, 'fraid so Dusty, for now.

Fun With Ice!

OK...maybe not so fun. This is what the chicken run looks like every morning for the last couple of weeks. Note that Wiggles the gray mottled Belgian d'Uccle and Linc the Barred Rock are the only ones brave enough to come out of the coop yet. With Wiggles it's curiousity and with Linc it's the possibility of food. The others are grumpily encamped inside the coop where it's warmer.

I like the way the icicles connect to the roof.

Hey, it warmed UP for this picture!

It stays cold enough so that the ice and snow aren't melting yet. I also have a lovely glacier forming on my back porch.

#26 Acts...

So right after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I came across Ann Curry's Twitter, in which on December 16th she posted, "Imagine if all of us committed to 20 mitvahs/acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown. I'm in. If you are RT #20Acts"

The response she had to her idea was explosive. The number has since been upped to #26Acts to include the teachers as well as the kids.

Her Twitter feed is now filled with people around the world--not just in the US--doing amazing, surprising, heartbreakingly kind things for complete strangers, all in memory of the teachers and children killed. I highly recommend reading her Twitter feed, it will restore your faith in humanity:
https://twitter.com/AnnCurry

If you want to participate in #26Acts on Twitter, do it! It's not too late, it's still going strong.

My own tiny contribution (slightly delayed due to my entire family, including me, coming down with a whacking great case of the flu) was to make 26 origami doves, placing special quotes on them, the tags on the back likewise have a special line denoting that they are in response to #26 Acts. Some are large, some are small, some have little origami bows on them...all are special to me. Here are a few:

I really hope they help to brighten someone's day, and just maybe inspire others to participate in Ann Curry's amazing idea. My plan is to take the entire flock of 26 doves somewhere and release them all on the same day.

Happy New Year!

I was putting away the Christmas stuff the other day and came upon Poof, our blind, elderly White Crested black Polish househen quietly sitting on these ornaments, bless her little maternal chicken-y heart.

She carefully scooted in amongst them and was trilling and clucking at them ever so softly...

Sorry Poof sweetie, I just don't think this particular clutch is ever gonna hatch.

Fun With Snow!

We had ourselves quite the little snowstorm the other night, it gave us a few inches for the kid to play in, and was the type that stuck to everything.

 

Including the chicken coop & run, the poultry awoke to find themselves suddenly unable to see outside the run and were freaked out.

But Gloria the Brinkotter hen lost no time is snarfing down beakfuls of the stuff...

J. was clearing snow off the roof of the small run and learned why you do this from the side, rather than standing directly under it.

And the kid made a snowman for the back porch.

Love his 'Meh, I'm a snowman. Gotta pinecone on muh haid.' face.

Christmas, Yay!

Finally got the tree done last night, after three days of decorating.

Before:

Yep, that's 13 boxes of ornaments. JUST ornaments, mind you, it doesn't include any lights or indoor/outdoor decorations. There are also 5 boxes of glass bead garland, not pictured here.

After!

The tree has a bit of a bend to the trunk, but oh, well.

Crummy pic, but shows the lights, kinda.

On the mantle I've got several single strands of funky vintage specialty lights. They've got ohsoshiny reflectors & foil and stuff.

Screwing With Kids...

The other night after I'd picked up my sister from the airport and delivered her to my mom's place, we were all sitting around talking.

Suddenly my kid runs into the room from the kitchen, where she'd been with her grandmother and aunt. "Mom, is it true that the holes in swiss cheese are made by MICE?!"

Now, this kind of BS and mindfuckery is something my family is famous for, if really elaborate and on a grand scale well, all the better. Her father, reading a magazine next to me, freezes. By this time we know better than to catch each other's eye and ruin things. Over my daughter's shoulder I see my sister and mother grinning hugely and nodding emphatically at me in an exaggerated manner.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh.

I bite my lip and carefully put on my most exasperated face. "Now--think, honey. How else are they gonna get the holes in there? It's the cheapest, easiest way and besides that the mice get fed, too. Geez, use your head." I say in a tired tone. Her father shakes his head and gives an 'of course' flavored snort.

Family members behind her are now dancing about in silent glee as my child stares agape at me in horror.

Hold expression, maintain eye contact, continue to sell the con...

And...she buys it.
She swings around and tears off back into the kitchen, where she is torn between 'ew, mousecheese' and eating one of her favorite yummy cheeses. Eventually yummy cheese wins out, as it always must.

We never did correct her thinking, though. That'll be a day for a whole 'nuther round of fun.