Man! I want a house with enough land to have this surprise:

Date:   	Tue, 23 Nov 2004 07:42:29 -0800 (PST)
From:   	Vicki 
To:  	        chris, Sonnie, Kitt, BJ, Barbara, Judy
Subject:  	Chickens!

Came home from the anniversary party and look what we 
found! Only 2 of the 18 or so eggs hatched (and
survived). We think "birth" occurred either Sunday or
Monday ... they sure are PUNY!

Your farmer friend,
Vicki

Kris and I took Bella and Annie for a walk tonight. When we're short for time, or just lazy, we'll take them up to the school and let them run around the big field. They get to run around, we get to walk and talk: a big win all around.

Well, on this walk, Bella stopped at one point, and started chowing down on some cat poop. I have no idea why this dog likes eating cat poop [1] (a google search answered that question quickly), but it annoys me to no end. I can't stand the shit-breath she has when she's done.

So, on the leash Bella goes, and we start walking home.

90% of the way home, Bella stops. Figuring she's just peeing, I keep walking. When the leash goes taut, and she resists, I realize something's up. When I look, she's eating more cat poop. I made the mistake of thinking it would be solid, and that I could just knock it out of her mouth: I stuck my gloved fingers into her mouth and tried to flick the poop out.

Big mistake.

My fingers come out covered in cat poop. And I'm angry now. I'm angry that this stupid dog ate cat shit not once, but twice. I'm angry that I now have cat poop on my gloves (ones my mom gave me a long while ago!). I'm angry that her breath smells of cat shit and she's giving me a shit-eating grin while still chewing. So, I did what any angry, shit-gloved, beagle-dragging woman would do.

I wiped my gloves on the dog.

Just as I was reaching down, somewhere in the fog of my anger, I heard Kris call out, "Not on the dog! Ewwwww!"

I really must listen to him more. I ended up dragging Bella home (mostly literal, she heeled very well for those last 150 yards), plunking her in the shower and giving her a bath. Did I mention she hates baths? She smells nice now. She also got a greenie. Stinky breath dog.

Footnote:

http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/ pdf/RMN_dogs_eat_poop.pdf

A behavior that is very common in dogs but not well understood is the eating of feces. Technically this is known as coprophagia. When given the chance, many dogs will eat the feces of other animals such as horses, deer and house cats. Raiding the litterbox is a common activity for dogs in households with cats. The behavior may be derived from the carnivorous (meat-eating) heritage of our pets. Carnivores frequently eat the internal organs and stomach contents (including poop) of the animals that they kill. As a result, eating the feces of other animals may be a normal extension of their carnivore behavior. There may be proteins and other nutrients in the feces that are eaten.

I wonder how valid text like this is, when quoting from another site:

FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Should my posting count at fair use, since I'm commenting on it from the site I originally saw it?

I told G about the World Games, and about the tryout camps. I gave him a probable tryout date, and asked him to help me train. His eyes got real big when I was explaining everything. He then asked me what I am willing to sacrifice to improve my chances of making the team, how long was I able and willing to train a day to be in good shape for the tryouts.

When I told him 4-6 hours would be my maximum, he nodded and said he was willing to help. We then spent the hour planning out my training schedule. I have to say that, yes, I'm in trouble. Starting tomorrow, I'll be working out about 2 hours a day for the next week, building that up to 4 by mid-December. I may hit 6 at the beginning of January.

Not like I'm already overworked. Something's going to give.

Open letter to the woman who I met on the jetway this morning (yes, you who glared at me, and muttered to your friend, "The carry-on baggage limit is two, not three."):

Hi!

I heard you this morning muttering under your breath about my three carry-on bags. I would like to state the apparently not-so-obvious about the situation:

1. When you speak at conversation level on a jetway, you're probably yelling.
2. The combined weight of me and my three bags is probably less than your weight alone. That's saying something, too, because I pack my backpack heavy.
3. I assure you, the combined volume of me and my three bags is less than the volume of your person alone.
4. Only you complained about my bags. The ticket agent didn't. Security didn't. The gate ticket agent didn't. The flight attendant didn't. Just you.
5. If you had sat in the same row as I, I would have had to put my bag on you, because my laptop is so big, it needs its own seat.
6. The contents of bag 2 fit easily into bag 3. However, carrying half on each side is easier on the back. You might have realized this if you hadn't made your companion carry all of your stuff.

So, next time, please mutter directly to me, so that I can let you know I really don't give a flying rats ass (or mallard duck, as the case may be) about your obsession with my luggage.

Thanks for listening, lady.