Diggity Dog

What do you do when you’re still a pansy-assed weakling after battling lyme disease for more than a year, but your budget is zip after underworking all that time, so you can’t afford to hire a ditch digger? But that strength-necessary task absolutely must get done before the big freeze-up.

Just do it. Dig for a bit, get frustrated at your lack of muscle, and then stop and contemplate your life. Maybe it really would be easier to live in the car, driving south away from the frozen land, and just earn enough for gas.

But wait, gas prices are up again, so you may not be able to afford that lifestyle either.

While leaning on your shovel trying to find the zip to carry on, your dog jumps into the trench you’ve started, and digs digs digs. Within moments, she’s dug down four inches deeper than you managed in half an hour.

Being showed up by a dog pisses you off enough to say, well, if that little dog can do it, so can I. And off you go with your shovel, calling in the dog whenever you need a break. And in two days, the trench is dug, the new wire is in.

Where would we be without dogs?

Whereby my friends try to kill me

(Can you spot the mountain dog?)

I thought that the email that came through regarding Sunday’s group hike was simply a misspelling: “Tomorrow’s Wall”.

My friends claimed that they tried to convey that this was not an easy hike. However, the email that read: “lots of ups and downs on this one” did not accurately clarify that up and downs did not mean simply walking up and down hills, but clambering over boulders that had been sheared from rock walls formed during the last ice age.

As a recovering lymie, I’ve been working to rebuild my strength, by digging trenches, climbing ladders, and carting firewood. But still, it takes time, when, for the last year+, you’ve resembled a piece of linguine that’s been stuck to the wall far too long.

Four hours of climbing over rocks was just a bit over the top.

Life is a big pile...

So just jump in!

Things I’m thankful for:

That I don’t live in Siberia

That I don’t have to drive a hummer

That the roof over my head no longer leaks

That there are trees to hug

That the fleas have all abandoned my dog

That lyme disease is receding into the background

That I have friends who care whether or not I set myself on fire

That spring is almost here

That I don’t have to leave the house on Black Friday

That I’m not a turkey (most of the time)

Turkey?! We're on it!

What do you do when your happy glasses get all scratched and fogged up?

Old Woodies

Yesterday marked the second time in my life I've ever been in a sailboat race. And just like the last race, it was marked by ferocious winds and fierce competition, as you can see by the photos.

Well okay, so there really wasn't any wind this time either. And had we done what others did, which was to motor up to the start line, cutting their engines as the starting horn sounded, we would have done better. But no, silly us, we were trying to sail in no wind, which meant that the tide, which was stronger, pushed us down onto the committee boat. It took half an hour to jibe around and get through the start line, which gave our competitors a huge lead. As the day drew to a close and the dampness of the chill air began to penetrate our bones, we gave up, turned on the motor, and headed back in towards the party. That blew our chance at the last place prize, but by god, next year we'll go for it!

What do you do when you're headed back to the mooring and discover that someone had come along and 'borrowed' your boat hook?:*

*These remarkable boat hooks will soon be available for sale at Alitloff Center for $89.99 + s/h. Order yours now to beat the Christmas rush!