A Blast From February Past ...

In honor(?) of the impending snow storm headed our way today (Friday the 13th no less!), I headed back into the 2004 archives on the XP box I use as a file server, because I recalled one of those February blasts that was particularly memorable ... so here it is, the great snow of February 5, 2004. I originally titled this first shot "NOT A Wonderland," no doubt due to my disgust with that particularly harsh winter when we had had our fill of the white stuff at that point. And, if I recall correctly, that was also the year that we had the surprise St. Patrick's Day blizzard that graced us (and buried emerging bulbs) with a mere 17 inches of snow ... it was a long winter that year.... So, let's head around back and see what Pepa and Rolly thought of the whole thing....
Pepa was definitely in deep and up to her elbows here, but not unhappy about the situation ... she and Rolly always loved frolicking in the snow, at least until they got too cold and were ready to come back inside. But on this particular day, they were quite content to take advantage of the snow accumulation to romp in the back yard while it was still coming down fast and furious....
Ever the snow dog with his heavy coat, Rolly was undaunted by the falling snow and given his height advantage over Pepa, had no problems tromping happily through the drifts on his way to a play session with his dear companion Queen Pepa....
Ah, these were the great old play days Pepa and Rolly so enjoyed in their younger years, when they would chase and wrestle each other around for what seemed like hours on end ... Pepa would start by nipping Rolly's ankles to get things going and then they were off! Who cared that day if there were already about 8 inches of snow on the ground and more on the way? They were having waaay too much fun!
But even as much fun as playing in the snow could be, Pepa usually was the first to have her fill and head for the warmth inside to find a nice blankie to nest in for a wee nap after playing ... Rolly, ever the oblivious one, hadn't quite figured out the cue yet and was intently watching something that caught his interest elsewhere. I don't exactly recall what got his attention prompting him to come in (probably one of those short, curt and bossy barks from Pepa signaling the end of play time?) but eventually he made his way back toward the house....
Ok, I'll admit it, I was mostly likely the one who first had had enough of the cold and snow and was really ready to go back in, though both Pepa and Rolly didn't mind that idea either at this point. So, as the snow was still falling, we all headed back into the house to warm up, dry off and settle down for a nice nap after a snowy playtime ... and the snow just kept on coming. If I recall correctly, we ended up with about 10-12 inches from this storm, more than enough for us to grumble enough already! But no, there was more still to come in March before it was all over for the year.... One last shot of Queen Pepa, who wanted to get up close and personal with the camera with her snowy nose before we went in ... In retrospect, I really wish the camera I was using at the time (the faithful Fuji Finepix 2250) had had the video capabilities that my new S700 has, but no matter, it did a fine job of capturing our two beloved furry loves for posterity, and that's what ultimately counts for us, now that they're gone physically, but still keeping watch over Jardín and Casa IVG! And once again, I think we have to give them great thanks for sending us our wonderful new pup, Hanna, who's not quite a snow pup yet because this year was her first time experiencing snow and since we've had her it's been wickedly cold and snowy, but maybe next year she'll be frolicking happily in the snow like her noble predecessors did for so many years here. Time will tell, but we'll see how she reacts to this next snow on the way, so stay tuned for more details....

Hanna's Grand Day Out (UPDATED)

So here we are, at the end of Hanna's first week in residence here at Casa IVG ... and so far, she's been settling in remarkably well, though there have been a few missteps on her and our parts, but nothing truly dramatic or game changing (meaning, she's here to stay if it's all up to us), mostly just puppy blunders, which are bound to happen with any young dog. After all, Hanna is probably just barely 9 months old and is still a total pup, despite her oh so adult demeanor ... Personally, I think she's just exhilarated with how she's been living large the past week, and she has developed a quick taste for it! Sure, there will have to be some rules and boundaries laid down and enforced, but that's what she needs ... and the pack is just getting itself organized at this point.

Hanna's had a couple of piddling accidents in the house, which I attribute to us not all communicating on the same signals just yet, but that will come quickly in time, I think. In any case, it's just all a part of puppyhood ... she's still learning and has had an awful lot to take in and process in the last week! Overall, if I had to grade her, it would be a close A-. Now, there was the toilet paper incident on Thursday when I had to be away (her first time alone) for several hours for meetings ... when I returned after her having spent about 4 hours alone, I found that she had found the extra rolls of toilet paper we had stored on a marble shelf in the bathroom ... think of that commercial with the terrier who drags the toilet paper from the bathroom all over the house, and that was pretty much the scene I found when I got home. Part of me had to laugh, while the other took on the role of the stern daddy who expressed his deep disappointment with the errant child ... no physical retribution, but stern words of dissatisfaction, mixed with reassurances that this little incident by no means jeopardized her status here, just that she had to learn boundaries. Having raised terriers previously, I know we'll be reinforcing that for many years, but they do respond and learn their manners. And where Hanna's concerned, she's way beyond most pups her age, so we have no reason to believe she won't be a star very soon!

So, in celebration of her first week and incipient Star status, Hanna got to experience her first dogsumer shopping experience at Petco today! We had a lot of things on the list, most importantly durable rubber squeaky toys that she couldn't destroy in about 20 minutes, like those previously given ones we started out with (they've since gone to the trash). Hanna had a blast at Petco, meeting other dogs and playing in the squeaky aisle, even if the ones we got her weren't her first choices, but the two we did choose for her have been real hits since we got home. She's now the proud owner of a Puppy Squeaky Kong (practically indestructible) and a bizarre heavy rubber bug eyed mouse. So far, she hasn't been able to leave as much as a scratch on either one, despite the heavy play ... whew, one issue resolved.

Here's about a minute of video I took tonight as she retrieved, and then proceeded to attack the squeaky mouse toy at length ... pardon the darkish exposure, we've got to work on the lighting still for indoors video! Anyway, check it out as she brings forth some downright eerie cries from her new squeaky mouse....

And here she is working on her squeaky puppy Kong, almost as popular as the mouse, but less strident in its squeakiness, but apparently no less fun for her ... even though she'd already been playing with both for several hours ... I think she came out well from her excursion with two great new toys that will last her quite a while. Whew. We were worried she'd wipe us out with her appetite for destroying the cheap squeakies, so we raised the bar quite a bit, and she seems even more pleased with the results so far. So here's fun with Squeaky Puppy Kong!

After we picked up some new dog necessities --which probably weren't as exciting for Hanna-- including her own new bowl, a stylin' jogging jacket (for those increasingly chilly walks around the neighborhood here lately), a new collar, new food and treats (Science Diet Puppy Food and treats), we headed to the checkout, where one of the cashiers gave her a treat.... She got to leave the store in a joyous mood. She was soo good on her visit, I think we'll be taking her back when we need more supplies, but after today (and all we spent) that may be a while, but a dog can dream, eh? In any case, her visit to Petco was certainly sensory overload for her ... all the great smells, the presence of other dogs and people to make over her (and there were several!), I'm sure she's eager to go back as soon as she can!

Once home, she got to play --incessantly-- with her new squeaky toys, had a quick walk around the neighborhood she's just getting to know, (it had to be quick because of the cold, even with her jacket), she started winding down (as much as terriers ever do), and for the first time since she's been here, she took possession of Pepa's old cushy bed. This was a big step for me, because it most surely smells of Pepa and she has avoided it until today ... Somehow, she felt the proper permission to use it today and I'm glad to see that happen. Most of this week though, she has spent the day lounging on the futon couch in my office that Pepa used to frequent ... and what's more, in almost the same spot on the blanket Pepa favored. Make of that what you will. No matter what the case, she obviously had a Grand Day Out, and as you can see in this last (very typical tonight) shot, she ended the day quite contented. So ends Hanna's first week here ... where she has witenessed the inauguration of a new president, gotten acquainted with the sights, smells and stimulations of a new home ... no wonder she was exhausted with all this processing!

It looks like living large agrees with her here ... and we're certainly remaining thrilled to have her along for the ride ... there's a lot of good things to look forward to in the future, not to mention spring! We're betting she's really going to enjoy spring and summer here as the new garden mascot! So stay tuned, and be ready to indulge our currently endless puppy love!

Sunday night Pupdate at 11:10 PM.

Hanna's foster mom called us tonight to see how Hanna was doing, and of course we gave her a glowing report about how great she's working out with us. She was very happy and gratified to hear how thrilled we are to have her, and appreciated hearing the squeaky Kong in the background, lol. She thought that Hanna's expedition to Petco sounded like lots of fun and was glad to hear she's getting to go places with us (she's great in the car!), so there will be lots more of that, especially as the weather gets warmer. Anyway, we have the last "official" paperwork to take care of next weekend, but that should just be pro forma at this point, as neither she nor we have any reservations about her staying here for good. At this point, I think she's as good as ours for her "forever" home ... and she sure seems to be loving it here living in the lap of doggie luxury!

--end puppy gushing--

In Memoriam: Rolly the Smiler 1991-2008

Rolly the Smiler 1991-2008

The house is now empty, there is no more plodding patter of paws nor clatter of toenails to be heard ... just the creaking and settling of our old house as the winter winds blow outside. A mere week ago we had our two geriatric dog friends still with us, but now they are both gone, hopefully having reunited again and enjoying their relationship as it once was, frolicking in the peaceful fields surrounding the Rainbow Bridge....

Rolly had to be put to sleep yesterday, after a long period of serious decline that began earlier this year ... we knew the inevitable was coming, and as his arthritis worsened and his dementia descended into the end-stage, it was just a matter of time. We should have done this sooner, but neither of us had the heart to do it just yet ... then Pepa's death signaled that we had waited far too long and Fernymoss set the date for Sunday. Even though Rolly didn't know me anymore and barely knew Fernymoss toward the end, he seemed to rally a bit after Pepa went and seemed to realize his faithful mate was gone. He also seemed to know that his time was nigh, and when it came time to leave yesterday to go to the Vet's, he actually acted as if he were ready and wanted to go. The end was peaceful and immediate. Now he has left the shell of what he had become due to age and illness and will no longer feel pain nor frightened confusion....Fernymoss got Rolly 17 years ago when he was a very young puppy and he spent his entire life with his devoted human, and when he was six Pepa and I came into the picture and the happy family was completed, only to be parted most recently. He was a dog of great beauty, gracious temperament, loving, funny (he really did smile a lot!), maybe not the brightest penny in the pocket, but always ready to play, accompany us anywhere and keep an eye on us ... literally! (Fernymoss used to jokingly refer to him as "laser eyes" because he always had to have us in sight or he wasn't content.) If you look closely at this second photo, you'll see that his tail was in full wag mode ... And Rolly didn't just wag his tail, he did a full body wag when he was excited or happy, leaning into you attempting the most affectionate hugs he could give.

Though he was born a hunting dog (a Brittany-Collie-Whatever mix farm dog), he was never formally trained as such, but still had very strong instincts in that direction that emerged at suprising moments throughout his life. He loathed squirrels with a fierce passion, and Fernymoss often recounts the time when, as a young dog he caught one, killed it and proceeded to toss it into the air multiple times, barking at it when it fell again, until he was sure it was properly dispatched. Then there was the time not that long ago (probably about the time this photo was taken in Summer 2003) when we were all out in the back yard and he literally plucked a sparrow out of the air in mid-flight, unfortunately frightening the poor thing to death. We'd have preferred that kill to involve a squirrel or rabbit, but something deep inside him told him that was the thing to do....

We have already been missing our gentle loving furry friend for quite some time since the dementia took hold, but now he's at peace at last. Pepa's ashes came home yesterday and Rolly's will likely do the same sometime later this week. They will be with us inside throughout the winter and in Spring they will both go to their final resting places among the peonies in the corner of the yard bordering the sidewalk, one of their favorite places. I think Rolly would appreciate this ... though he always misunderstood peonies as pee on me's and just couldn't resist them, no matter where they were....

Now, as we approach the high holidays, we will honor them with a place under the tree with their bowls filled with some of their favorite treats, so at least their spirits can come back to join us on Christmas and know that they were both dearly loved and are missed

In Memorium: Pepa's Good Life 1994-2008

As you obviously know now if you're a reader of this blog, our little girl, Ms. Queen Pepa (Approximately) left us early this morning. I'm in no condition to try to begin to do a proper retrospective or her life right now, so I thought I'd just post a couple of favorite shots from the past that always make me smile. These are both from September 1, 2003. I like to call the first one "Did you say Puppy Cone? That always got her immediate attention....
I don't really have a title for this one, but it's a shot that I think really shows off her personality for the world to see. To me, she's saying, I'm smart as a whip, bursting with energy and boundless happiness, even when my Dad's not at his best! How about tossing that ball for me for a little while, huh? HUH?

I do believe her spirit will remain or at least revisit her home here again ... I know Pepa, and she's always been such a nosy dog, she won't be able to resist....

UPDATE: 11:20 pm. December 10
Well, our little girl took her penultimate ride in the car today when Fernymoss took her to the clinic to arrange for the cremation. In a week or so, she'll ride home in the car one last time to come back to us in a different form. We're not quite sure yet where she will rest in the back yard, but there will be a marker with her name on it or a piece of statuary ... we haven't decided just what that will be, but there will be a permanent reminder where we decide to bury her ashes.

It's Coming on Christmas ...

Click Image Above For Audio

They're cutting down trees, they're putting up reindeer, and singing songs of joy and peace ... oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on. But it don't snow here, stays pretty green, I'm gonna make a lot of money and then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene, oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on....

I've admired Joni Mitchell's music for many years (even before college where I really became a hardcore fan) and I've always considered Blue one of her finest albums. For me, this often sad and heartbreaking collection of songs is pure emotion in poetry and music and if I could only own one of her many fine discs, this would definitely be my choice.... And River is perhaps my favorite of the many favorites I have on this disc (Little Green, Carey, California, A Case of You, I could go on and on). I realized today (while trying to leave a coherent message about Pepa on my sister's answering machine) just how very close to the surface my emotions currently are ... and lo and behold, River popped into my mind. So I decided I'd post the YouTube audio tonight.

Yes, the connection to Christmas is obvious, and it's not really "Christmas Music" per se, but it's always one I think of at this time of year, especially when we trek out into the frequently cold and stormy weather to pick out our own tree, which we did tonight, amidst the misty damp cold of an approaching ice-snow storm making its way to our area. We figured that with an additional 5-8 inches of snow on the way tonight and tomorrow and very cold temperatures forecast for the rest of the week, that it was now or never tonight ... so off we went.

In the 10 years we've lived here, we've always gotten our Christmas trees from a family run tree farm business in northern Wisconsin, and have become quite fond of the people who sell them. They're real Wisconsinites from up north (complete with accent and all), salt of the earth, hard working people who provide great trees at a more than reasonable price. So we set off to where they always set up this time of year, in a vacant lot across from an old (now closed) Target store on the north side of the city. As soon as we got close, I began to worry ... there was no giant illuminated snowman or Santa as in past years, and it looked ominously dark as we got closer to the lot. Then our worst fears were confirmed ... they're not there this year. I started wondering about why, after over 10 years, they had suddenly disappeared ... had the business failed? Did they not make enough money here last year and decided it wasn't worth it this time, with the economy faltering? Did they lose their lease on the lot for the season? All sorts of theories swirled around in my mind, and I suppose I'll probably never know for sure....

But we were on a mission (interrupted yesterday for obvious reasons explained in the previous post), so I got to thinking where I had seen other small lots popping up around the city yesterday ... then it came to me, we had passed one in the old Beaverdale neighborhood (where I lived when I first came to Des Moines in 1994). So we drove back, found the lot and pulled in as the weather really started to get a bit nasty (windy, cold, freezing mist) ... as we were the only customers there at the time, we got lots of attention from the very eager guy selling the trees. I asked him where the Scotch Pines were (that's what we've always gotten in the past) and he said they only had Fraser Firs and Balsams (which I'm not very fond of), so we started having him show us the Firs. He had a lot of really nice trees, but most were bigger than we had in mind until he showed us one that was about 6.5 ft tall, and we decided that one would do quite nicely because it was very full and well shaped. So I asked the price. $60. I gulped, because we had never paid more than $30 in the past, so it was one of those situations where we had to decide quickly, not only because we were on a mission, but also because the weather was chilling us both to the bone! So I said, we'll take it, pulled out my $60 and a couple of minutes later, he had it bagged and loaded into the back of the Vibe (we didn't have to strap it to the roof this year, lol). And to sweeten the deal, he even threw in one of those clean up/disposal bags that you just put under the stand and pull over the tree when it's time to take it down. That should help eliminate the never ending vacuuming up of fallen needles this year, so that's a good thing. In all likelihood, if the bag isn't damaged too much taking it out in January, we'll just empty it in the compost and save it for next year, because the city collects the trees for composting, and of course, we're the composting kind of guys after all!

We came home and got it into a bucket of fresh water on the porch for the night, and we'll probably bring it in tomorrow night and get it set up in its stand, and if we both still have enough energy left at that point, we may start getting the lights on it. Once that's done, the real fun will begin ... hauling out our enormous glass ornament collection and decorating it! Though we vowed not to buy any new ornaments this year, Fernymoss has fallen off the wagon a few times and brought home some very nice new additions (such are the perils of working in a crafts store!). So Ornament Blogging should start very soon here at Casa IVG ... I hope you will enjoy it as much as we like showing off our rather eclectic-traditional collection! So stay tuned ...

Brief Pepa update: Today she showed some improvement over the past few days, so we're cautiously hopeful that she'll make it through these next critical couple of weeks. The Lasix appears to be working and helping to eliminate some of the accumulated fluid and her belly is visibly less distended than it has been over the past several days. She rested comfortably and slept a lot on the futon couch in my office most of the afternoon until it was time for her dinner and evening meds. Her eyes are brighter, her ears are perkier and the tail wagging is starting to come back more frequently than before. I hope we can notice improvement a bit every day until she goes back to the vet next Monday ... I know it's going to take time to get her stabilized, but we remain hopeful she'll pull through!

LATE UPDATE: 11:30 a.m. 12/09/08
Pepa came to my side of the bed about 5:30 this morning, saying goodbye, I believe. Sometime between then and 8:15 she passed over and I found her at rest in the kitchen. I am giving her and myself today as a wake, and we will take her into the vet's tomorrow, where they have arranged for a cremation. We are already missing her grievously, and it's going to take a while to pass. I'll post an obituary sometime tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the kind words of support and love offered in this very sad time.

A Wild and Spooky Sunday!

After all the stress and busy times last week, we were both really looking forward to a busy, but relaxing weekend of Halloween preparations for the big day at the end of this week ... well, at least Saturday was productive for me! I spent the day doing laundry and cleaning furiously in the house, and got a lot more of the Halloween decorations unpacked, and by evening, I was good and worn out, but satisfied with my efforts. Fernymoss and I had a lot planned for Sunday ... we were going to clean the carpet, do a bit of grocery shopping and more decorating on the porch and in the house ... Until the Great Cold Front of October 26, 2008 moved in with a vengeance, with its 45 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 60 mph! This morning, Fernymoss got up a bit earlier than I did and went off to rent the Rug Doctor, but in the time he was gone and returned, we had lost power due to an exploding transformer down a half block away....

Once he got home, he noticed that the neighbors two doors down had gathered in their driveway and were all looking at something over this way ... Deb, our neighbor shouted at him: "Did you see what happened?" So he went over to see what she was talking about, and quickly put the picture together: our ancient huge Maple in the back yard had blown into several sections and basically crushed part of the house next door to us. Now, you have to understand, this (rental) house has a bit of a history on our block, and not a good one. In our 10 years here we've seen a procession of all sorts of 'dodgy' types live there, much to our, and the other neighbors' chagrin. Fortunately, the most recent renters moved out earlier in October, so no one was presently living in the house, because if they had, there would have certainly been some injuries.
In this photo, you can see some of the damage the parts of the upper tree caused ... basically, part crushed the roof of the kitchen (lower level) while the other took off part of the second floor roof, and one huge section actually crashed through the roof about 5 ft into an upstairs bedroom. According to our neighbor two doors down, the impact literally rattled their house, though I heard nor felt anything (because I was sleeping on the far north side of our house. Again, it was really fortunate that no one was in there, because it could have caused some serious injuries to say the least. And, as you can see, there's a lot of branches and tree debris taking up the back yard....
This photo shows what it looks like in our back yard, just behind our ramshackle shed (which we wouldn't have minded it taking out, because it's insured!) and the section of our chain link fence another section of the tree top crushed. As you can see, these weren't just branches, these were major sections of the upper tree that blew down! We have no idea just how old our maple was, but it was very old, because it was huge and shaded most of our back yard ... but no more! It's a goner now, because as you can see in the next photo, there's not a lot left of what was the upper tree. So, today I'll be having to contact both our insurance and start checking out tree removal services to take care of what's left. I'm not looking forward to that...!
Here's what remains, and I called this photo RIP Maple, because it's looking really ragged and spooky, just in time for Halloween. It's really sad, actually, because we have really enjoyed this maple (well, aside from the myriads of spinners in the spring, but that problem is taken care of now), and though we'll have much more sun next year, we'll miss this old friend. While Fernymoss was out taking these pictures (you can actually get a glimpse of me hunting down the last pumpkins in the back garden), the landlord of the property next door came by to inspect the damage, and he was making noises about calling his insurance and just demolishing the place, rather than trying to renovate. We really hope that's the case, because as I mentioned, this house has a "history," and it's not a pretty one. Almost everyone who has lived there since we've been here has suffered from the bad karma of this place, and we and the other neighbors would just like to see the place gone. At least we can be sure that no one (human, at least) will be living there for quite some time! And that's a relief, because we were dreading just who would be the next victims to succumb to the bad vibes this place has in spades....
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we and everyone else on the block had no power due to that transformer explosion, so we decided to go out, survey damage around other parts of the city, do a bit of shopping and get some Popeye's chicken for dinner, simply because we couldn't do much else around the house! So off we went to Big Lots to explore what they had in stock currently ... we cleaned up on a bunch of canned goods (they had some real steals on Campbell's soups!) and other items, one of which happened to be a nice, fuzzy and cushy dog bed that I picked up for Queen Pepa, which you can see her proudly showing off and enjoying in this last shot. Once I made it clear to her that it was her bed, she quickly took possession of it and I think she's going to like it a lot. She's showing her age more recently (after all, she is 14) and though she used to always sleep on my side of the bed, it's harder for her to jump up there these days, so I'm going to put this in the bedroom so she has a cozy and comfy spot to sleep close to her humans. It was the least I could do for her as the colder months are now upon us. And it will serve her well.

When we finally got home, after seeing lots of trees and branches down all around the city, the power was finally back on (after about 6 hours or so), and we did a little happy dance, knowing that we would have not only power, but heat after this crazy day. This is going to be the swan song for the garden tonight, as temperatures are expected to go down into the low 20's tonight. So, we got all the houseplants in (now we have to figure out where they will all go!), cut the final zinnia and calendula flowers to bring inside, and are prepared to say goodbye to this year's garden. After this crazy weekend, I'm not that disconsolate about it ... and even though we had to bring most of the tombstones in for the night due to the wind, but we'll get them back in place before the big day to come.... Thursday night is the big 'Beggars' Night' here in the city, and we're already prepared with plenty of treats and toys to hand out, and we just have to finish the porch decorations and lights, which you'll see here as the week progresses. And Friday night, we'll be holding our annual Halloween Bash, which will top off the week for us in spooky form! So keep an eye out for what's to come this week ... I'll do my best to chronicle it as it happens.

A few final remarks about that Nightmare Before Christmas DVD we got recently ... we watched some of the extras the other night, and they are well worth the rental/purchase of the new Deluxe Edition. The real stand outs are Frankenweenie (Burton's film school thesis film), a wonderful tale of a boy deprived of his dog, who he brings back to life, much to the consternation of the neighbors (with big references to James Whale's original Frankenstein). It's a true dog lover's tail wagger and heart warmer of a short film, in short, a true delight to be seen and savored time and time again. As well as an early short Vincent, which is an imaginative (if a bit primitive) demonstration of the Burtonian filmic vision, narrated by none other than the inimitable Vincent Price (one of my all time favorites). I enthusiastically recommend the whole 2 disc set for Burton afficionados who want some inspiring and goregeous Halloween entertainment!

Ok, after this eventful day, I'm exhausted ... I'll have more later this week, so stay tuned!

Blanket Excuse

Once again, I offer my apologies for yet another unplanned hiatus from keeping up with the blog here at Casa IVG. Aside from a busy work schedule (what's new there?), late last week I succumbed yet again to one of the travelling bugs making their way through the area, and quite frankly, I'm fed up with spending about every other weekend sick with one thing or another! This one actually started hitting me on Thursday afternoon, you know, that odd feeling of 'I must be coming down with something' that vague and undefined sense that something is going awry somewhere in the body ... and by Friday morning it had hit me full force: slight fever, sneezing, coughing, chillls and aches. So I took a sick day from work and basically spent almost the entire day sleeping and feeling miserable in bed ... until I had to get up and move around a bit, in this case, downstairs to my comfy recliner, wrapped in my flannels, robe and plush fuzzy blanket. I watched a bit of TV before falling back to sleep for several hours, which is pretty much how I spent the entire weekend.

Finally Sunday night, I started to feel a bit better and actually had an appetite for more than juice and toast --well if you count grilled cheese sandwiches as real food-- and though I was a bit worn out today, whatever this latest thing was, it seems to have pretty much taken leave for this round, so I hope I'm back in the thick of things here at the blog again!

Things are gearing up quickly around here for the big Halloween festivities, and Fernymoss, bless his heart, worked like a demon yesterday putting up the first decorations outside in the garden, building the corn teepee and installing our seasonal friend the Punkin Dude out front with some of the pumpkins. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm going to have to get busy and pitch in on getting the rest together this week and next, when we'll be throwing our annual Halloween Monster Bash on the big night of the 31st.

Add to all that, we both have to find a time to take an hour or so out sometime this week to go vote (early voting has been underway here since late September) so we can spare ourselves the inevitable lines that will occur on November 4. Though voting at our precinct usually goes pretty quickly under normal circumstances, I somehow suspect that it will be crowded and busy this year and will soon overwhelm the tiny room used in the nearby Presbyterian Church just up the street. Besides, this year Iowa is making early voting so easy (not to mention giving everyone plenty of advance notice), that there's really no excuse for not doing one's civic duty....

Oh, and a quick update on that new version of The Nightmare Before Christmas I mentioned last week ... I had ordered it as a birthday gift for Fernymoss, and I did manage to rouse myself sufficiently to watch it Friday night, one small consolation to an otherwise miserable day. It is by far the most sparkling and colorful version I've ever seen of the film (short of the original theatrical release), and if the only one you have seen is the sad VHS version, you really should treat yourself to this remastered DVD. The sound (if you have a home theatre system) is crisp, clear and wonderful, and both of us were amazed at the level of detail the remastered images reveal ... we both swore that we saw things we'd never seen before in the VHS version. Besides, it's a perfect way to ring in the holiday season ... whichever one you prefer! And it will have you singing for days afterwards ... what more could you ask for this time of year?

Oh yeah, I took this photo as I worked one day last week, when Pepa made a mound of the blankets on the futon couch in my office (they were once nicely folded, but no more) and spend the afternoon snoozing away in her nest. Little did I know (at the time) that in a few short days I'd be wrapped up in my own cocoon sweating and chilling the bug away myself ... maybe she was foreshadowing where I'd end up at the end of the week?

Early Halloween Greetings From Her Highness Devil Dog Pepa

As a comedian from my childhood Flip Wilson used to say back in the days of Laugh In, "The Devil Made Me Do It!," so in anticipation of the upcoming holiday, Queen Pepa (approximately) reminded me that she wanted to make one more appearance here as her alter ego 'Devil Dog' just to reinforce how cute she is when she gets dressed up. So, here she is from Halloween 2006 showing off what a fetching bitch she can be when she puts on the horns and cape to greet Trick or Treaters. I'm sure she's happy to retire this particular costume in favor of her much more comfy fleecy skeleton hoodie, but I've always loved how devilishly cute she is when she puts on the horns and cape, and, believe it or not, there was a time (well in the past now) when she really did live up to being a Devil Dog! But for anyone who has ever owned a Terrier, that should come as no surprise, because in their younger years (when she acquired this, her first Halloween costume) they can really live up to the reputation!

As you can see here, she really rules the roost at Casa IVG, and will continue to do so as long as she's with us, which I hope will be for a good, long time to come!

This Is Halloween!

Ok, I know that a while back when I posted the video of "Mr. Misting Skull" I swore that we weren't going to buy any more Halloween decorations this year, due to the overabundance of cool stuff we already have. Well, as you can see in this photo, this weekend we both fell off the wagon with a resounding thud! It all started Friday after work, when we drove out for our yearly visit to Nobbies to see their incredible selection of Halloween merchandise. Talk about two grown kids in an eye candy shop ... Fernymoss spotted the Demon first and just had to have it, while I wandered around a bit and fell in love with this incredibly realistic (but way big) Toad, who seems to be asking "Where are my lilies?" These two new acquisitions will be joining Grizelda the Witch in the annual porch display, along with one of the misting skulls and various other props we put on the table from which she casts her spells enchanting the trick or treaters every year....

Today we had some items to get at Target so off we went, and of course we couldn't resist checking out what Halloween items they had, but weren't that jazzed up about it because the past few years we've thought they've been fairly lackluster (other than some nice gargoyles) in their selection. Not this year! We were bowled over by the abundance of very cool items they have to offer, and really had to try to temper our enthusiasm to drop some serious cash on some of them ... so I sprang for this really cool resin tombstone (it's heavy!) and Fernymoss just had to get this big gargoyle for our ever expanding collection, and both finds should serve us well for years to come ... we also got this enormous black ceramic skull that we're going to put the treats in (better than the cheesy plastic cauldrons we've used in the past ... those will be for the toys this year). Actually, I was the one who dropped some very serious cash for the candy and treats we will be handing out ... I didn't total it all up but it was at least $50-60 for all that stuff. Yes, we like to treat our beggars well, and they remember us ... the house where you not only get candy, chips and stuff, but toys too! Last year several parents from the neighborhood said their kids always want to come to our place first for the spooky decorations as well as the abundant goodies!
We're definitely getting into the mood to decorate and dress up, and even Queen SkelePepa got into the act, as you can see in this second shot. Last year I got her this rather nice fleecy jacket/costume that she actually seems to enjoy wearing, unlike the Devil Dog and Bumblebee outfits she's worn in the past. She looks pretty impressive in the dark, as the skeleton on her back glows in the dark, and though it has a hoodie, it doesn't quite fit her head, so we just roll it back to expose the spiderweb design on the inside. Last winter when it was really cold (and we had no heat for a while when our furnace died) she wore this for extended periods and it seemed to keep her nice and toasty, though tonight she only sported it for a few hours because it was still pretty warm (in the mid 70's well into the later evening hours), but she definitely was enjoying the spirit of the holiday!
As long time readers already know, there are two times of the year we really go overboard decorating: Halloween and Christmas, so as each approaches, you'll be seeing more posts devoted to the art of skillful kitsch ... after all, what's a garden blogger to do when everything is pretty much dead or dormant outside, but you still want to post regularly? So ... in the spirit of the season I'll conclude by plugging one of our all time seasonal favorites, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you still haven't seen this, you really owe it to yourself to indulge in this frightfully innovative and entertaining little film! To say it's a quite unusual musical is a gross understatement, but now that Disney has finally released a cleaned up, remastered new edition (after way too many years of neglect), there's no better time than now to experience it once again --or for the first time! (Click on the image below for details from Amazon.)
If you've seen Nightmare before, you likely recognized that the title of this post refers to one of the more rousing songs in the film that always has me singing along ... but perhaps you might not have known that this song has also been performed by none other than Marilyn Manson! Yep, that one. By no means should anyone infer that I'm a Manson fan (I'm not that familiar with his stuff), but he does a fantastic version of this song, which you can see here, complete with most of the original imagery from the film itself. Don't let the performer put you off, because he delivers a quite competent and entertaining version in this short video! Come on, I know you want to click the link....

We harvested the first two fully orange pumpkins (and the third and biggest is starting to change color) from the garden this weekend, the cornstalks have been cut down and will soon be part of the front garden Halloween display, so look for those coming soon. Oh, and I still have a few more Toad Lily photos to post, so no, the fat lady hasn't sung yet! Stay tuned....

Punkinstein's Progeny Progress Report

Again, my apologies for the latest lapse in posting recently. As I mentioned in the comments to the previous post, I've been sick again and work has ramped up considerably, thus cutting into my blogging time. Add in some exhaustion and a lack of inspiration and that will define a "Fall Funk" as far as I'm concerned ... *Sigh* Anyway, we're making do here at Casa IVG as Fall rams its inevitability full into our faces, and as I write, a round of thunderstorms is moving in...

While I was doing some work stuff today, I sent Fernymoss out with the camera (he was already mowing, so this made a good break for him, or so he said) and here are some of the sights he captured in the late afternoon garden. First off is, of course, her Highness, the Most Exalted Queen Pepa (Approximately) posing not so obediently next to our most recently discovered pumpkin in the back veggie garden. As you can see, she could probably care less that we wanted a cute picture next to the pumpkin, her attention was elsewhere. And, as you can also see, Punkinstein has a serious case of powdery mildew, which we're not too concerned about since it's late in the season, it's been rainy and moist lately, and the pumpkins seem to be doing just fine ... at this point I think we're assured of at least 3 decent sized pumpkins by Halloween ... now whether or not they are all perfectly orange, that remains to be seen....
Here's a shot of the original (first) pumpkin I discovered a while back, though now it's clearly in transition from green to orange and has some rather nice markings on it ... if it still looks like this around Halloween, I won't be bothered a bit, and in fact, I rather like this look!
And here we have the one that has been eluding us for a while ... the one closest to where Punkinstein originally established his territory, the compost pile. We both had figured there were pumpkins back there, but neither of us had found one, until today. Obviously, this one is more advanced than the others so far and will be a prime contender Jack O'Lantern within the next month! Really, this is a banner year here at Casa IVG that we can say we harvested both our own corn stalks and pumpkins (grown totally organically). At least we haven't been able to brag about that in previous years, despite better efforts to that end ... I guess sometimes if you do leave it all up to Chance, it does pay off from time to time....
And finally, here's Queen Pepa looking through the fencing that's supposed to keep her out of the back veggie garden, but doesn't really keep her out. According to Fernymoss, this was one of the few times he could get her to look directly at him while he was trying to get her to pose for the camera. But this is a typical Pepa look ...even with the weedy purple morning glory in the foreground. No matter what she was really thinking at this time, I'm sure that we can all speculate ... but I'm willing to bet that she understands that Fall and Winter are on their way, and it's just a matter of time before things wind down for the winter in the garden. We too, have to accept this and make our peace with the season. I'm just not willing yet, thus the Funk.

Acceptance coming soon, I expect.

Detecting a Real Fall Trend Here ...

This past weekend certainly had all the harbingers of fall in sway ... with cool, rainy days and nights, and as we experienced today, some of the very windy, remnants of Ike blew through. I saw on the regional radar last night that a few former outer bands of Ike's stormy weather were actually passing through the SE corner of the state, into Illinois and beyond. I suspect that more than a few midwestern gardeners also noticed these effects as well... Indeed, Fall is creeping quickly on to the gardening scene around Casa IVG, as the rest of this post will show, I hope....

Anyway, as you can now see, the Chrysalis has now been officially vacated ... it must have been sometime Thursday (when last we checked it) overnight or during the day Friday, which was a very rainy day and night here ... in any case we wish her/him well on the journey ahead, and hope s/he comes back next year and brings friends! I guess I know instinctively what's coming ahead in the season, and with the imminent departure of the butterflies, it's near certain proof that it's time to quit boating in denial, and just accept it.

The Praying Mantises are still around and quite visible, especially on the aphid infested Heliopsis (aka: Yellow Rogue) out by the shed. Both Fernymoss and I got shots of this guy at work, but I liked this series that Fernymoss got, so his photos won out. Just a Saturday afternoon session at the Lunch Counter for this lucky Mantis pal of ours ... and most days if we take a good look around, we can usually see this or one of his friends hanging out as well. I hope they do realize that they are the only reason why these Heliopsis haven't been dug/ripped out of the ground by now. Fortunately those aphids don't migrate to our other plants, and we've decided that the Mantises definitely have had something to do with that. Anyway, as most now know, we're tickled to have these guys in the garden ... we think they may be here to stay now that we've two full years of Mantis Guard....
Out in the savage back veggie garden, Punkinstein is still running amok and now crawling over the fence we have up to keep the dogs out (it doesn't work well with Pepa!), and into the back yard. They're still blooming prolifically, and are producing a few pumpkins --unless there are some as yet undiscovered ones, which is possible-- but we're assured we'll have at least two small ones ... now the question is whether they will fully ripen to orange by Halloween. We went grocery shopping today and saw they already had pumpkins for sale, but I somehow suspect they came from another place, because I'd find it hard to believe Iowa grown pumpkins would be that ripe already ... anyway, time will tell. Now, what might Pepa be peering through the fencing to see?
Yep, it's one of Punkinstein's progeny lying just on the other side of the fence, and when I looked at this new one last time, I recall it was about baseball sized, and now look at it! I'm sure they appreciated all the cool, rainy weather we've had for the last week and have really been (literally) soaking it up. Even though the veggie garden has been a savage jungle the last month or so, we're really proud of two of our more unusual growing attempts ... we had several rows of our own, organic corn that gave us several good meals, and now we seem primed to have our own organic Halloween pumpkins as well! The corn stalks are starting to dry on their own, and the few tardive ears that have developed --since we stopped harvesting a week or so ago-- will be shucked and left to whatever critters in the yard may want them. I suspect the tree rats will likely be the recipients, but I wouldn't mind if a raccoon happened through and found them ... one of our mild concerns with the corn was that we'd lose it to raccoons, but if they've been around, they have either been very discreet in thievery or respectful ... in either case, we got a crop out of it, and have even more Halloween decorations drying out back...
Though this is anything but a 'fall' flower, the abundance of fiery orange certainly suggests (ok, it screams) autumn hues. Both 'Sun Showers' and 'Erin Rachel' (more on them in another post) were blooming abundantly this weekend, and both of us ended up taking very similar shots of them (though independently of each other!), and we both focused on getting close ups of this particular bud, with another open bloom in the background. Both sets turned out pretty well, but I selected this one from Fernymoss' because I liked the detail and the overall composition ... aren't those buds as delectable as the open flowers? I have to say, 'Sun Showers' is the most spectacular tropical hibiscus I've ever owned (even when pitted against the double blooming red Chinese one I had through college and grad school), and it was worth every bit of its high end price of $45! You can bet we'll be pampering these two more this winter to keep them happy, and even perhaps blooming! Anyway, such vibrant orange leads to thinking of Halloween, which then leads to thinking of Halloween themed colors, such as black....
While I was out looking for the Chrysalis yesterday, I spotted this spider working her web in the vicinity of the now-voided chrysalis ... I can't provide a positive ID on her, but she looks a lot like that one I posted a while back (the one who was carrying her little ones). In any case, when I shot her, she was pretty mellow (Fernymoss tried later and scared her a bit), so I was able to get up fairly close. Hmm, spiders, fall, black after orange ... there is definitely a fall trend going on here.

As the garden winds down, inevitably, there are still bright spots to be seen, mostly among the remaining annuals you'll see over the coming days ... some of the perennials (namely the Ligularia dentata) are still in full swing --yay Toad Lilies! Yay Queen Rudbeckia!-- but the general trend is definitely on the winding down side of the cycle. I picked a few tomatoes yesterday and they're ripening much too slowly with this recent cool weather, but are still tasting pretty good ... my miserable peppers are now rebounding (too little, too late), but I still hold out few hopes to see much from them. So we were blessed by the garden gods in some respects and eh, slighted in others? Such is the gardening cycle we play every year ... we play with what we're dealt, and given the unusual nature of this particular summer, I think we still came out pretty well, all things considered. At this point, we're still pretty pleased, despite the onslaught of weeds this wet summer brought upon us....
I'm sure no one saw this coming ... Halloween Full Bore is nearly upon us here at Casa IVG. As long time readers already know, this is our big decorating event of the year (aside from Christmas blogging). While we were out shopping today, we made one of our periodic trips to Big Lots, one of those stores we like to check out every couple of months or so, just to see what they have ... and where we can often pick up many grocery items we'd pay more for at the regular places.

Of course, they had all their Halloween regalia on display, but aside from the usual items astute Halloween shoppers see, this particular item, 'Mr. Foggy, Mist Making Skull,' caught my eye, imagination and $20. It's actually a quite fun --and different-- Halloween decoration that does something ... it produces ample water vapor illuminated by interior LEDs. So I thought I'd include this short video just for fun ... I think you'll get an idea of what it does, even from this rudimentary set up. What we really intend to do with it is a bit more thematic ... some gravel, rocks, bones and other items placed around it. But I couldn't resist showing it off as it gave one of its début performances. After a while, it actually makes a nice, quiet gurgling ambient sound, but what you'll hear most prominently is the sound of Rolly panting in the background ... this recent weather with so much humidity in the air hasn't been kind to either humans or animals, but it too will pass soon...

Update on other matters: In case anyone was wondering what I was up to this weekend, other than neglecting the blog, I was very much involved with searching out and testing various programs to produce the Urban Oasis Calendar 2009. After upgrading to the most recent version of my photo editing software, I realized that it really lacks the capabilities to produce the kind of calendar we want to do, so I went hunting on the tubes to see what I could find that would do what we want to do. After testing out about a dozen or so programs (all rejected for one reason or another), I've almost come to a decision, and it may be a somewhat costly one, but still ... We want to produce a quality product we can proudly give our friends and family.

At this point, I still have a couple of other programs I want to check out, but I'm tending toward the higher end (e.g. expensive) solution offered by SmartDraw. It has the kind of ultimate hands on control of all options of the calendar I want to be able to manipulate, but it comes at a price ($99.00 US) ... we'll see what wins out, but at any rate I wanted to say that we're working on the calendar in the background, and it's pretty certain that it will happen eventually (I'd like to have it wrapped by mid-November). Fernymoss has been busy of late compiling some really cool and helpful enviro-friendly tips about pest control and other topics ... we'll also be including all the usual (and unusual) holidays, as well as the moon phases, and even more that Fernymoss will probably contribute. We've got the basic layout (depending on the software I choose) established at this point, and some preliminary photos have been identified, so it's just a matter of time ... and software chosen to do the job! I'll keep you updated....

And, as I've said before, if anyone would like to nominate particular pictures they've liked over this year, feel free to point them out in the comments ... we've got each month mapped out provisionally, but are certainly still open to suggestions. Depending on what software I eventually choose, we can probably include multiple images on certain pages (cover, interior page, back cover), so if anyone has any favorites, let us know!

Maybe Not the Best Place to Spin a Cocoon?

Today's shot is actually from last weekend, but I've just not found a place to post it before now, with all the Mantis sightings of late ... during our labors in the Weedorium Fernymoss discovered this erstwhile caterpillar getting ready to spin her/his cocoon in a most precarious place, on the stem of one of the bindweed vines we have in the Woodland Garden. Of course he didn't have the heart to rip it out (in vain) as we usually do, but decided to get a few shots instead. I won't identify it just yet because I thought it might be fun for readers to test their skills at IDing caterpillars, so here's your chance! What do you think (s)he's going to turn into when all is said and done? Let me know in the comments....

I'm a bit concerned about the choice of this particular place, because even if we let the bindweed go, it will die in the fall and any cocoon will likely fall to the ground, but maybe that's her/his plan? Or perhaps (s)he will finish the metamorphosis before frost and wing on out before the cold weather sets in? I have to admit that as much as I love butterflies, I only have a rudimentary knowledge of their habits ... we just try to provide them with as much food and shelter as we can to keep them thriving and coming back each year. We've really been seeing a definite uptick in the number of caterpillars around the garden lately, though this one is very special to us ... there seem to be a lot of 'Wooly Bears' out and about, not to mention the one in yesterday's post, which Shady Gardener has tentatively IDed as some sort of Sphinx Moth.

And finally, for you Pepa fans out there, I'm posting a video of her prowling around yesterday as we grilled in the backyard ... just her usual survey of her domain, but she does go to the area where she discovered the nest of 3 baby bunnies last week, but no one was home, so she quickly lost interest! It's a bit longer than usual (43 seconds), but I thought Olivia would appreciate this one! Enjoy, doggie fans!

... Meet Some of the Garden Help ...

The Mantises have definitely arrived (or emerged from hiding) in the garden now, and we couldn't be more delighted! After yesterday's discovery out front, we were thrilled to find two more --bigger-- ones hanging out on some of that weedy Heliopsis I ranted about back in July (it's not ex-ter-min-ated by a long shot). These were destined to be pulled at some point, but now that these guys have apparently taken up residence, we may reconsider that. For some reason, this year these 'Yellow Rogues' (as we call them) have been afflicted seriously by aphids (you can see them all up and down the stems), and we suspect that's exactly what drew the Mantises. Honestly, for a Mantis they must seem like an all you can eat Tapas bar or some Happy Hour spread somewhere. Hey guys, knock yourselves out and grow fast and prosper! Nobody wants aphids around (though they don't seem to bother our other plants), and if they're tasty to a Mantis, so be it and good riddance to the aphids!
Don't ask me what this weed is, but we have it everywhere, and when we clear an area, this is one of the first things to go (and this one went shortly after this shot was taken). The only reason to include this was to showcase that flashy little leaf hopper we saw earlier this summer on one of the 'Sun Showers' Hibiscus flowers. All we know is that it is some kind of leaf hopper, but when you see him up close he's really quite the snazzy dazzler, and to me he looks a lot like the Neon Tetra of the insect world, only he doesn't need an aquarium! There's no end to what we find insect wise in the gardens, but at least this one seems to do no harm, and is quite pretty we think.

Guess who's been playing with the video again? I'm really loving the video capabilities of the S700, the more I experiment, and I caught this little 16 second snippet of a bumblebee working a Cat Mint bloom in front of our old decrepit excuse for a garden shed. I was staking out the Praying Mantises nearby, but thought it would be fun to catch a bee at work, so here he is. I also took two short videos of the Mantises, but I'm going to have to edit them somewhat to get them reduced in size and duration, so I won't post them just yet. As for my video capabilities, they're still in their infancy, and I'm just starting to get the hang of focusing properly and using the zoom, so one day I hope, I can get some really great footage of things around the garden. My next targets will be the Goldfinches who are starting to come around for the Annual Coneflower Seed Feast and the various butterflies we've been seeing in abundance lately, so stay tuned for more to come.

Still photos by Fernymoss and video by IVG, all taken August 24, 2008.

Queen Pepa Demands Her Due Blog Time

This one is for Olivia, the blogmother of this humble effort that is Urban Oasis. Just a couple of photos showing off our favorite show off, her Royal Highness, Queen Pepa (Approximately). Here she is posing in a couple of places while we were out weeding today. I was taking a quick break when she decided to pose for me after I had weeded behind the house. The first shot is her looking in the back door when I went inside to get a city composting bag to put all the stuff I had weeded into ... she came in, got a drink of water and then accompanied me back out into the back yard to clean up. She was such a good gardening buddy today, and even though the back gate was open, she never strayed far from where I was weeding. I'd say she had a good day out back today, because she got to supervise what both of us were doing....
Here she is taking a posing break while I had a Coke in my chair out back before I tackled the Hibiscus bed. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open in the late afternoon sun, and posed so perfectly that I had to get a few shots of her relaxing after a hard afternoon of playing supervisor. I guess I should note that we go back a long ways ... I first adopted Pepa on August 5, 1995, when my previous dog Coco was ailing with Mast Cell Cancer, and I thought she might perk Coco up a bit. Well, Coco died on September 13, 1995, but before she went, she definitely told Pepa a few things about what it took to be a great dog. It took a few years, and many destroyed objects (pillows, plants and LP records) before Pepa fulfilled her "great dog" status, but despite the history, she not only stepped in to fill those paws, but has gone far beyond that to reach "Queen" status. She's definitely earned it at this point, and at 14 years old, she has plenty of spirit to keep going for a few years, we hope! She's got a lot of "age frosting" now, but she still has tons of "piss and vinegar" (as my Dad would have said) keeping her going. Now that we're facing dealing with two geriatric dogs in the house, signs of mortality are weighing heavily on our minds. Rolly is approaching 17 years old and probably won't be around much longer, given his deafness and arthritic lameness, but we still cherish and love them both. I just hope that when he goes, Pepa isn't too forelorn that she can't deal with the loss, because the two of them have spent the last 11 years together, and they are a harmonious couple. I know that had I spent these past 11 years without Fernymoss, my life would have been much less rich, all things considered. I suspect that both Rolly and Pepa feel similarly. Pepa has been spending a lot of her time lately tending to Rolly, and seems to understand the trajectory, much to her credit. And I wonder what she knows that we don't yet.

Time will tell, I guess.......

Did I Just See a Squinny?

Late night doggie cuteness on display. Pepa being vigilant on Saturday when we were taking a break from our work out front ... A squinny (IA term for ground squirrel, chimpmunk, whatever you call them) had just scurried by in front of our little Queen Pepa (approximately). Note that the Prairie Mallow is about done and putting on seed pods destined to be sent to some readers' gardens this fall.

Pepa never fails to dominate the scene she's in ... and this one really demonstrates her terrier heritage ... but she never catches the squinnies, but where the bunnies are concerned, she really gives them a run for their lives! Hehe, go Pepa!

Not the Canicular Yet, But Pepa's Feeling It

When I'm tired and not particularly inspired, Pepa blogging usually can perk me up, and Pepa sure doesn't mind the exposure! She clearly likes to pose, especially when she can be in a usually 'forbidden zone' such as this first shot taken on the steps leading up to the front of our house. Ordinarily, unless both of us are working out front, she's not allowed to venture out this far from the back yard, so when she actually gets to come out front, I suspect she thinks she's earned a very special reward. And most of the time, she is very obedient and stays pretty close to one of us at all times, unlike the Pepa of yesteryear who could be counted upon to take off in an instant ... Wisdom does seem to have come as she has aged, and these days she's really trustworthy ...
This second shot was taken on a pure whim, and it's certainly not the best photography I've done, but it really captures another Pepa moment ... when I was grilling outside last night, she had gone in the house for a drink and then decided to stay in. Though pretty soon, as the smell of the burgers on the grill made it her way, here she was peering out the door at me as if asking 'Dad can I come back out now?' Of course Dad had to oblige her ....
So here she is a few minutes later, relaxing on the wet concrete where I'd just watered the plants a bit earlier. Although it wasn't particularly hot Sunday (unlike today and the next few to come), she seemed to think this was a welcoming spot to rest and watch what was going on with the grill. Around her, you see the remaining perennials waiting to get planted this week, as well as a few of the houseplants that summer outdoors on or near the "patio," that slab of concrete surrounded by weeds (we have to deal with that soon!). A couple of weeks ago it was filled with plants waiting to go in, so it's looking much less encumbered now that I did a bit of tidying up yesterday. It's still a mess, but less of a mess now!

Mystery Flower and Bonus Pepa Pic!

Fernymoss decided to get all arty yesterday with the Mystery Plant now blooming in our dining room. Here's an example of one particular shot that I thought was quite striking. What do you folks out there think? And is it immediately obvious what this is? Hint: it's a flower not normally associated with blooming during the summer ...and, if you've ever grown one, I'm sure you know what it is!And here is Her Highness Queen Pepa (Approximately), disinterestingly supervising from her spot on the floor ... apparently she wasn't particularly impressed with what Fernymoss was doing. Of course ... it had nothing whatsoever to do with food , thus the blasé attitude, lol.

The Garden Supervisor at Work

It's been a while since Queen Pepa (approximately) has made an appearance here, and since she hid the blog keys until I promised to devote a post to her, I of course, acceded to her demands (as I always seem to do, lol). So here she is, acting as general garden supervisor and sentry earlier this evening.

Tonight was one of those late spring evenings we prize so highly, especially given the wet weather of late. After work, we both went out, I with my trusty S700 and a beer, fully intending to take some shots of the flowers, but I never quite got around to it after I relaxed just a bit (after another über stressful day). So I decided to work with what I had around me, which just so happened to be Her Highness Herself, always a willing photographic subject.

Pepa is the quintessential terrier in her immense capacity to be a downright busybody, attentive to almost everything going on around (unless you happen to catch her snoozing, which happens a lot too). When we're working out back or within eyesight elsewhere, Pepa keeps a sharp supervisory eye on what we're doing, you can be sure of that, as I hope these shots demonstrate.

Just a quick note on shot number 3 ... you can obviously see some new peonies behind Ms. Pepa. These are the Karl Rosefeld peonies we bought a while back because they were such nice plants and at (what I consider) a bargain price of $9.95 each. Fernymoss had the day off and planted two of them, thinking that's all we had bought, until asked why he hadn't planted the third. He had overlooked it, not remembering that we had a third to go in ... but no worries, it will soon be joining its two companions you can see in the ground. We're rather excited about these new additions, because after reading up a bit on this cultivar, I think they're going to grow into splendid bloomers over the next few years. And, for a bit of perspective, they're just on the other side of the fence from the other peonies, and yes, downwind from Mr. Stinky.

For those of you who've asked about how the city has been faring given the flooding, rest assured that conditions are improving daily, and there are very slight chances of rain predicted well into early next week, so Mother Nature is finally giving us a reprieve. In Des Moines, the Birdland area is still under water and there are massive property losses there for the residents. It's going to take a long time to recover for them ... Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are improving as well, though that's a very relative term to use. CR residents are gradually getting back to their parts of the city, and what they're finding is just heartbreaking in its magnitude. If I had to characterize it, I'd say the situation is less dire daily, but that really minimizes the hit that city has taken, and Katrina comparisons of CR and Iowa City are heard rather frequently lately. I'm not sure that I necessarily concur with that characterization, but they have experienced conditions that can only be described as catastrophic proportions. I read yesterday that in Iowa City, the waters aren't expected to recede fully until later this summer ...! Again, recovery is going to be long, painful and difficult for them, as well as the thousands of other Iowans in many areas. I fear that some of the smaller, more rural towns will just disappear entirely, though I do hope that I am absolutely wrong in that prediction.

As always, if you're interested in updated coverage of the state, this link to the Des Moines Register, will sum it up for you, and it's regularly updated throughout the day.

A Rude Reminder

We awoke early this morning to a surprising sound ... thunder! At the time I thought, oh, that rain that was supposed to come through finally made it here, then I laid back for a bit (it was well before the alarm would be going off), pulled the covers up a bit and snuggled back in with Pepa. Then the second round of thunder came through ... what had been some initial rumbles that woke me had now turned into some rip snorters that managed to rattle the windows as I heard a noisy rain coming down outside. After a pleasant, sunny high of 55 on Wednesday, it seemed to be just a comforting return of early Spring thunderstorms, something we always look forward to in this season.

Then, as it always does, the alarm went off and after the usual ritual of hitting the snooze button a few times, I got up to go downstairs, take Pepa and Rolly out and get my first cup of coffee (man, do I love that programmable KitchenAid coffee maker!). As I opened the window shades on my way I had a rude reminder that winter doesn't seem done with us yet! There was snow and accumulated sleet (and perhaps even a bit of small hail) in the drive and the ground was quickly becoming covered with a light layer of snow! UGH, I thought ... just when things had been looking more spring-like of late, here it was again. Needless to say, that realization didn't exactly put me in the cheeriest mood to start the day. It was one of those late winter, early Spring days filled with grey skies and chilly temperatures (I think it eventually made it up to about 35F) when you just want to stay in bed and ignore the nasty weather outside, but such was not my lot (as it always is!).

One of those days when something was constantly coming down ... sleet, rain, snow and no sun to be seen. Those kinds of days when I would love to just be a dog for the day and spend my time curled up in a warm blanket snoozing away the hours. Well, Pepa and Rolly certainly had that kind of day, making me somewhat envious that I couldn't just go back to bed and take a nap. By the end of the afternoon, the snow intensified significantly, right about rush hour (as it frequently does) and from about 4:00 to 7:00 we had a dandy snow going on outside. Fortunately, it wasn't accumulating much on the streets or sidewalks and only the grassy areas let on that it had been snowing today. The brave early bulbs (snowdrops and crocus) were definitely taking today off, and the crocus in particular had closed up tightly, hoping for better days to come, I'm sure.

I suppose it had to happen. There's a bit of folk wisdom here in Des Moines, that during the state high school basketball tournaments (which actually happened earlier this month) the tradition is for one last blizzardly blast of snow to arrive. Well, we thought we had dodged the bullet this year (after all we did end up having the 5th snowiest winter on record), but Mother Nature decided to remind us that warmer weather and sunshine are still on the horizon ... oh so out of immediate reach, yet inevitable. Just. Not. Today. But soon! Believe me, we are sooo ready for that day!

So, I didn't achieve my dog's life fantasy after all, but at least our furry loves (thx Olivia for the term) were able to profit from it. I took the picture of Pepa (above) late last night as she was happily snoozing away in her new favorite chair (the blanket is a big draw for her). I think a lot of us say we envy the dog's life for its relaxed and carefree pace. But it's worth considering that our perceptions of what it must be like may not necessarily coincide with our dogs' perceptions. And as if we needed more proof, I'll conclude by including a link to a wonderful short film that Olivia sent me last weekend. It's called Dog Years, and is an instructive reminder of what our furry loves might be thinking. Check it out, it's a good little film. Maybe I would have felt this way today if I had had my dog's life fantasy after all.