A Bone to Pick

Friday was my last day at the WV place. It was a pretty busy day. It was pretty odd, too.

First, the weather. It rained off and on in the morning. So every time the dogs went outside, they brought some mud back inside.

A Doggone Dirty Floor

The floor looked like this by late morning. It was pretty bad. And I had just cleaned the floor on Monday night. The bedroom is the only place that the floor was sort of clean.

Somewhat Clean Floor (Way Cleaner Than the Other Room)

The cool thing about a concrete floor is, it cleans up pretty easy.

Before I started working, I did a post about Belle the bone thief. She stole K’s bone. I wasn’t overly concerned though because bones had been showing up all week.

Do you remember me ending that post with, “I don’t even want to picture the carcass that is the source of all these bones.” There’s definitely a pile of bones somewhere on our property. I’m not sure if it can still be called a carcass though because it has no head.

How do I know it has no head?

Skull Outside My Kitchen Window

Because someone deposited it on the ground outside my kitchen window. I don’t know which of the girls delivered that little treasure, but I am pretty sure it was Meg. I really was very busy so I ran outside, lifted the skull with a grocery bag and hung the bag on our porch post. A little while later, I just had to stop to get a shot of this…

Click here so you can see the text.
Meg's Thought Process as She Searches for Her Skull

I happened to look outside at 2:45 while I was fixing my lunch and dang if there weren’t more bones. I decided I’d better collect them. After all, the girls had been showing up with bones all week. And boy, did those bones ever make those dogs STINK. Shortly after they ate the bones, you could smell it on their faces and feet. A few hours later, you could smell it in the air. With dogs, if it smells bad going in, it usually smells much worse coming out. Especially if expelled in gas form.

By the time I was through for the day, I felt like I’d done an archaeological dig.

The Bone Collection

You wouldn’t think my sweet little angels would do such a thing, would you?

The Girls Sleeping While I Worked

Don’t let those faces fool you for a second.

And now, for something completely and utterly unrelated to anything I just said, look at this cool moon picture.

Do You Look at the Moon?

I snapped that shot while taking the girls on our final stroll, just before heading back to MD. Which is where I am now, all ready (sort of) for another very busy work week.

So Much for Smiling

The other day I wrote about how K had finally started to smile. If you didn’t see that post, go back and check it out. There’s pictorial proof.

Moments after publishing that post, I had to take the dogs down the hill. Seriously, they insist. Belle pokes me repeatedly with her nose. K hits my shoulder with both front feet at once then looks at me all serious and issues one long, plaintive “woof”. Meg circles and whines, looking at me hopefully the whole time. Then she starts growling and barking.

It doesn’t stop until I take them down the hill, which essentially just means to the end of our driveway. Further, if I have time, which that day I didn’t.

Anyway… while I was standing near the end of our driveway, K was exploring in the woods on my right. Soon enough, she found a bone. (Looking back, I’m pretty sure one of the dogs must’ve hidden it there earlier.)

Not long after that, Belle discovered that K had found a bone.

Well, Belle wanted that bone.

Click on the image at left for a larger view to see Belle trying to get K’s bone.

I watched them for a little while, but I had to get back to work. So I headed toward the house.

Not long after that Belle, who must have tired of trying to outmaneuver K, joined me. A couple of minutes later, K followed. She must have hidden her bone for later (she tires of gnawing faster than the other dogs).

Well… the very second Belle saw K boneless, off she ran. Directly to the spot where K had left the bone.

This was the scene shortly thereafter.

The Chase is On

The Chase Continues

K was not happy. Her expression in the next shot totally says, “That bitch stole my bone!”

I. Want. My. Bone!

Belle, at times, can really be a brat. She’s top dog at our house and she flaunts it. She chooses which bed she sleeps in every night. She chooses whether or not a dog can play with a particular toy. She tries stealing everyone else’s chewies. And so on.

The Cute Little Brat

Hubby and I often say, “It’s a good thing she’s so cute.” Really. How can you get really, really mad at a dog with a face like that one? Especially when she looks at you like this?

I Want My Bone

I could have intervened, like I often do at home, but I didn’t want to touch that bone. And watching them was sort of funny.

I Want My Bone. Really.
"Mama, she won't give me my bone."

As a quick aside… isn’t it weird how K looks like a goat in that picture?

For Serious. I Want My Bone Back.
Can I Have My Bone Back Please?

I did sort of feel sorry for K. But I had to get to work. I knew she’d get it back eventually. Besides, there are quite a few bones laying around the yard here.

I don’t even want to picture the carcass that is the source of all these bones…

Still Waiting for My Bone

I looked outside a little while later, and they were still at it. Belle chewing (i.e., gloating) and K stewing.

It all worked out in the end. Later that same day, K was back to romping and smiling.

Are you wondering about Meg? Are you? Feeling sorry for her, thinking she got all left out?

Don’t.

A short time later, she showed up with a new bone of her own.

Nyah, Nyah. I Got My Own Bone.

Let me reiterate… I don’t even want to picture the carcass that is the source of all these bones.

These dogs always keep me entertained (and a little grossed out at times, too).

Courthouse Flowers

In August of 2008, I took some pictures in and around Romney, West Virginia. That’s the town closest to our WV place. I uploaded them to Flickr then promptly forgot about them.

This shot of the courthouse was among those images.

A couple of weeks ago I got a message from another Flickr member saying he had formed a group to showcase images of historic sites in Hampshire County. And he wondered if I would share some of my pictures. I agreed.

Tonight, I checked my Flickr account and saw I’d gotten the following message from this new guy in my computer. His name is Justin.

For the record, I hadn’t even noticed that there were flowers on the bench.

Here’s what Justin wrote…

“I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the story behind the flowers placed on the benches in front of the courthouse, so I thought I would share it with you. A man by the name of Marshall Taylor resided in the courthouse basement in exchange for his services in support of the building’s maintenance. Nobody was quite sure how old Marshall was, but according to the 1930 census, he was born around 1916. Marshall was a local celebrity and was seen daily sitting on these benches. Local lore has always had it that Marshall would switch benches at noon, but I’m not sure if that was always true. He passed away shortly before this photograph was taken and for many weeks, residents paid their respects by placing flowers and cards on the benches where he once sat and socialized.”

Interesting, eh?

More Life in the Country

For four days in a row now, I’ve gotten prank phone calls.  Four days.

It’s getting annoying.

It’s the same kid every time. She calls, says “Hi!” all chipper-like, which makes me think it’s one of the grandkids. Then she hangs up and my hopes are dashed.

Yesterday I did the *69 thing. Twice. (Don’t do that on your cell phone, okay? I’ll leave that story for another day.)

The first time, I got a phone number. The second time, I got a message saying the number was private. I could’ve opted to dial the number right back, but I figured it’d do no good since the parents were probably not home. I decided just to dial the number myself later. But then I got sidetracked.

The calls had been coming in between 3:00 and 6:00 PM. Most likely before the parents had gotten home from work. I was pleasantly surprised not to get any calls today. When the phone rang around 8:00, I thought it would be someone I wanted to talk to, so I answered.

I was wrong. It was the same kid. And this time, she snorted at me. Snorted!  The nerve of her.

I was pissed. So this time I did the *69 thing and opted for the callback.

The phone rang and rang and rang. I could just picture this kid, running around, freaking out, saying, “OMG, she called back. Now what am I going to do?”

I was still pissed. Totally ready to yell at this kid and/or her parent.

I had all the time in the world so I just let the phone ring.

The phone must have rang about 30 times. Finally, the kid picked up, said “Hello” and then was quiet.

There was some rustling and then another kid picked up the phone.

“Hello,” this kid said, immediately followed with a breathless, “It was my friend, Caitlyn.”

“Well,” says me. “Your friend Caitlyn has called me like four days in a row now.”

“I know,” the girl says. “I’m sorry.”

“Four days,” I repeated. “And I’m really getting pissed.”

“I know, I’m really sorry,” the kid says. “Sometimes,” the girl sighed and hesitated for a second before continuing with, “she’s stupid like that.”

I could just picture the two of them sitting there all scared.

“Well, I’ve had enough,” I said sternly. “Is your Mom home?”

“Um, no. She’s not here.”

Classic excuse, right?

“How about your Dad?” I persisted.

“No, I don’t have a Dad. He died when I was like 5.” Like that was a long time ago. I’m thinking this kid was maybe eight. Ten at the most.

I didn’t know what to say to that one. How can you scream at a little girl who just said to you, “I don’t have a Dad”?

“Oh, well I’m really sorry to hear that,” I said. (So now I am the one apologizing!?!)

“That’s okay,” she said. “I still have my mom. But she’s at the gym.”

“She’ll be home soon, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Damn, she just had to go and play the polite card…

How could I be mad? This little girl just sounded so cute.

“Tell your friend Caitlyn to stop calling me,” I told her.

“Yes, ma’am. I will.”

“Promise?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay,” I said. “Goodbye.”

“Bye,” she replied.

Then I hung up.

What else could I say at that point? She’d totally taken the wind out of my sails.

I’ll just have to wait and see if I get any more calls tomorrow.

Life in the Country

I really like our WV place. For many reasons, one of which is the fact that we built it ourselves. During the process, I sometimes hated it. Like when temperatures were in the nineties and I was pouring 80-pound bags of concrete-like stuff into the mortar mixer. Or when we realized the wind had destroyed the tar paper we’d applied to the roof the previous weekend. (And then there was that ginormous spider I discovered the following weekend when cleaning up said tar paper.)

There were quite a few not-so-great moments. (Linking you to all of them would take me until 2011. If you are really interested, you can READ MORE ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.) There were lots of good ones, too. And now that the place is done, it’s awesome to be able to come here and enjoy life in the country. Even if I do have to work while here.

By suburban standards, our place is remote. (View Romney, West Virginia on this map.) All the essentials are here for the most part. Or nearby.

Of course, “nearby” is relative. We have a big grocery store (Food Lion), which was recently remodeled, but the nearest Walmart is about a 45-minute drive. There aren’t a lot of great restaurants to choose from. There is one Mexican place we love, El Puente, but it’s in Capon Bridge, 45 minutes east of here. The closest movie theater? Yep, 45 minutes. (Not that we ever got to the movies.) Closest big hardware store, i.e., Lowe’s? Closest Panera Bread? Large chain restaurant? All 45 minutes.

One thing I never thought about was shipping a package via UPS. From our MD place, there are any number of UPS Stores or shipping facilities. Heck, I could drive a package to BWI Airport in 15 minutes.

The other day, the IT guy that works for my employer told me returning my old laptop would be fast and easy. “Just take it to the nearest UPS Store,” he said. I laughed. I told him I doubted there were any close by, but I didn’t really know.

So I decided to check.

There’s one UPS Drop Box that is supposedly a half mile outside of town, which would only be about a 20-minute drive for us. But it will only accept “UPS Shipments not exceeding 16 X 13 X 3 inches.” And honestly, based on this map and its accompanying directions, I have no idea where it is.

UPS Drop Box, Romney, WV

There’s another drop box in Keyser, West Virginia that I could probably find. But that’s got the same size restrictions as the drop box on “the road” in Romney.

The closest authorized shipping outlet? It’s near our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Puente, in Capon Bridge. Another 45-minute drive.

I’m starting to realize something here. Whenever anyone asks, how far to the nearest anything, I just have to say 45 minutes. It can be like the 15-minute thing at Chinese restaurants. You know, when no matter when or how much food you order, it will always, ALWAYS be ready in 15 minutes?

So we have to drive a lot. So what? It’s worth it. I’d take life in the country over life in suburbia or the city any day.

Spring and Smiles

I’m at the WV place with the girls for the week. We’re having some work done at the MD place. Having strange men walk in and out with one particularly barky dog and two bark-followers in the house would not be very conducive to work.

So here I am…

Spring Has Sprung

The weather on Monday was nice for the most part. I was quite happy to see the big bush at the end of our driveway full of green buds. This is the same bush that, a little over a month ago, I was kicking and shaking to clear the snow off of its branches. I don’t know what kind of bush it is, but I like it.

K and Her Stoic Expression

I know I’ve mentioned here before that K, a generally happy dog, almost always has a stoic look on her face. She just always looks so darn serious.

Really. Like in this shot of her and Meg in the truck. Look how serious she seems.

I’m not sure why either. She really is a very sweet, laid back dog. You’d never know that by the expression, or lack thereof, on her face in most of the pictures I’ve shared here.

But things have changed. Finally.

I now know the secret to making K show some teeth (in a good way).

K Looking Sort of Pleased

Okay, she’s not grinning ear-to-ear in this picture. But she does look a bit more relaxed than usual, right?

K Grinning

And this is definitely a grin. Wouldn’t you say?

K Smiling

This picture may be a little blurry, but it definitely shows K smiling.

K Smiling Again

She’s smiling here, too. Her eyes still seem a bit serious, but her lips are certainly pulled back into a smile.

K Almost Laughing

Her smile is so wide here, I can almost hear her giggling with glee.

K's Goofy Grin

And check out the goofy grin in this picture! Doesn’t she look happy?

Wanna know the secret? I’ll tell you. Turn her loose in the woods with no daggone beeping, citronella-spraying electronic collar strapped to her neck. She was, and still is, beyond thrilled. And she stays close by, too.

Now I just have to teach her to keep those eyes wide open when she smiles.

While this next picture is completely unrelated, I just HAD to share it with you.

Meg

It’s a picture of Meg I captured yesterday when the girls insisted I take a short break to walk them down the hill. Meg had just turned to make sure I was following her. There’s just something about this picture that I really like. Which is why I had to share.

Belle is here, too, I just don’t have any good pics of her to share. None taken in the last two days anyway. This next shot, which shows all three dogs running down the hill ahead of me, is the best image I managed to capture that included Belle.

Going "Down the Hill" (something the girls insist I do with them)

I’ll try to get a shot of her today. Hopefully she won’t show up COVERED in cow shit, like she did on Monday morning. Let me tell you, giving a very stinky little dog a bath is just what I wanted to do before I could start working for the day.