Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Jeff Wolf and Don Edwards

     

  Not long ago, we spent a glorious weekend in Moab, Utah, attending a Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Festival.

At the Marty Robbins Tribute Concert, Don Edwards performed while sculptor, Jeff Wolf did his magic. He created this sculpture from clay as we watched and listened to the music. It will later be made into a bronze.

Just wanted to share some of the photos taken that weekend and ask which of the last two do you like best...

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Have once again kick-started my broom and headed to OKRA-home-ma.

Kitchen Countertops

    BEYOND MY SLAB is the place to go look at everyone's kitchen countertops for this Mon Funday assignment.  I love it when the challenge requires no thinking. Thank you Ari_1965 for Keeping It Simple today.  And with that thank you, could you "borrow me a dollar?"  (See her side bar.) TeeHeeHee !  Here's what ARI says,

"It's time for show and tell. What does your kitchen counter look like right now? (And no fair cleaning just for the picture!) Do you have any favorite or unusual items on your counter?"

And since it requires no thinking on the part of the blogger, and certainly no cleaning or straightening up, I decided to add a twist for the reader, and let you compare the photographs of my kitchen countertops.

Remember sitting in the dentist's office looking at Highlights Magazine comparing two photographs to see what's different about them?  Well, that's what is here for you today. There are 4 pairs of pictures. (That would be a total of 8 for those of you who don't count.)  Compare the Pairs:

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

4)

 

5)

 

6)

 

7)

 

8)

 

Notice any differences?

The other thing I find amusing about posts like this one, is what readers will recognize in a photo and comment or ask about. It may be an item that I didn't even realize was in the picture. Or better yet, they'll just list everything they see...

But for whatever reason you are here today, (which I've never figured out why you keep coming back), here's wishing you a wonderful week.  As for me, I'll be kick starting my broom again and flying to parts unknown:
(aka: OH-kra-home-ma...where the wind comes sweeping through your trailer park !)
(aka: TORNADO ALLEY)

And while you're at it, if you've not been over to welcome the newest blogger in the family, go check out Supper Table 2.0.

And if that's not enough, here's a giggle for you: Mommy, she farted and it stinks.

Tell them their mother sent you...

Supper Table 2.0

There's a new kid on the block !

You may have noticed comments here and there posted by Wicked Witch.

Well, Wicked Witch is my oldest daughter, and she has just created her blog. Her second post is up, so wander on over there, drag up a chair, and join in on the conversations that will happen around her "Supper Table."   You can also follow her on Twitter.

And, don't forget that my youngest daughter, Swamp Spawn, also has a blog called "Tales of a Dethroned Princess."  Go check out how Little Miss P is embarassing her mommy these days.

Be sure to tell them "their mother" sent you.

Buster the Boxer

Buster is his name.
Running away with his buddy was his game...
Running almost TWENTY miles away from a loving family with three children.

Anyone who has ever had a dog gone missing knows the pain and suffering and wondering and worrying that consumes your every thought.

Our dogs, Junior and Bubba would escape regularly no matter how hard we tried to keep them home. We built fences, put up chicken wire, installed TWO, yes TWO "electric dog safety" fences...and they could still figure out ways to run amuck in the neighborhood.  We would spend hours looking for them and many times to no avail. Sometimes they would find their way back home. Sometimes total strangers would call and ask if we had lost a Boxer...or two.

This case is no different. Boxers just run and no matter how hard you try, they will find a way to escape if they set their minds to it.

Those children mentioned earlier are 4 years old, 6 years old, and 7 years old and they missed their pet. After Buster had been gone for over two weeks, their hopes begin to dwindle that he would ever come home again. They made many calls to the animal shelter, but Buster was never there. No one ever responded to the lost pet ads they ran in the newspaper.

Buster's mommy's stomach turned over and over, again and again with that sick feeling when you are visualizing where your pet might be.

Enter AnodeMan...

One Friday, he spotted a run-away, skin-and-bones Boxer, while driving his rental car in Turlock, California.  Had it not been for a cold waffle left over from his breakfast at La Quinta Inn, Buster may never have been lured into ultimately being saved by him and the animal control officer in that county.  

"Buster the Boxer" was hauled away in the paddy wagon to the shelter and checked in on Friday, February 6.  Lucky for him, his owners had invested in having a microchip "installed" into his back. Buster was fed his first real meal in several weeks and given any number of vitamins and lots of clean fresh water. 

On Sunday, the information retrieved from the microchip was used to contact Buster's family. Buster's daddy immediately went to the shelter to claim him.

Buster was fed ample amounts of fresh liver because the owners knew it contained lots of vitamins, mineral, and nutrients for dogs that had been without food for an extended period of time.

So, just to prove that Buster has been reunited with a loving, caring, and VERY happy family, here are photos to show how much weight he had gained in just over a week...

 

 

 

Boxer Rescue

Message from the Emergency Swampcast System !

Update on the lost Boxer:  Several of you are familiar with the following story about AnodeMan and the lost "Boxer."  So, that you don't have to read the whole thing again, I'll refresh your memory. Or if you don't know the story and don't have time to read all of it, here's the Cliff's Notes version...

AnodeMan was in California, Friday, February 6, on a job, driving a rental car in the vicinity of Turlock when he noticed a skinny Boxer running loose with that "lost" look about him. He pulled over, parked the car and tried to coax the dog to come to him.  To AnodeMan's dismay, the dog ran in the opposite direction and out of sight. At that point he called to tell me about the dog and that he was walking back to the car to leave. As he started to drive away, he spotted the dog and said, "Gotta go. There he is."

I don't remember exactly how long it was before he called back again, maybe 30 minutes, but he had grabbed a cold waffle left over from his motel's lovely continental breakfast and was trying to convince the dog he could be trusted. The wind was cooperating and was blowing toward AnodeMan, so the dog stopped several yards away. AnodeMan broke off some of the waffle and tossed it to "Boxer."  He very slowly and suspisciously walked to the morsel and ate it.  AnodeMan began to talk to "Boxer" and tossed him another small bite. Once again, "Boxer" ate it, coming a bit closer this time.  All the while, AnodeMan is trying to get closer to him. This goes on for quite some time and finally, AnodeMan has now been able to touch the dog.  He saves one little piece of the waffle just in case he needs it later.

I'm using our land line phone and my cell phone to communicate with AnodeMan and the various dog shelters. If you want to get all the details of my dealing with the automated phone message systems at two different police stations, scroll down. There were several  problems...AnodeMan didn't know EXACTLY where he was, he could not be seen from the street, and he was too far from the car to carry the dog, even if "Boxer" would let him.

While I was on the phone, with the dispatcher, it was difficult explaining what was needed..."My husband has found a dog...he doesn't know where he is...I'm calling from Colorado"..."You won't be able to see him from the street even if you locate his car"...  (I'm sure the dispatcher was thinking he had another wacko and the other end of the line.)  (Maybe he did.)

The animal control officer did locate AnodeMan and "Boxer."  Kudos to the Turlock Police Department and Animal Control !  It was determined that "Boxer" had been micro-chipped.  AnodeMan took one photo of "Boxer" as he was about to leave in the paddy wagon. (See below)

It was our hope that "Boxer" would be reunited with his owner(s). We spent the entire weekend and all of Monday (9th) trying to connect with the animal shelter but to no avail. Finally, on Tuesday, AnodeMan was able to speak to a lady there, and all she could tell him was that "Boxer" had been claimed by the owner and was no longer there.

Instead of being over joyed our feelings became ambivalent...would "Boxer" return to a loving, caring home ? We assured ourselves that since he had a microchip and that because he was claimed so quickly, surely the owners would take good care of him.  

Had "Boxer" not been claimed, we had already decided to see if the animal shelter would let us adopt him and bring him back to Colorado to live with Bubba and June Bug.

Well, AnodeMan is back in California...stay tuned for the rest of the story as it unfolds.

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Well, it's time for a new post and there are many, many, many stories about our Road Trip. But, instead of sharing one of those today, there is a story that must be documented now. The reason it must be documented NOW is because I may not remember all the details tomorrow. 

If anyone who has read here for a while has any doubt about the good-natured spirit of AnodeMan, this should make you KNOW FOR SURE !

AnodeMan is in California working on several jobs and called to tell me he had finished three and had scheduled three more for this afternoon. Quite ambitious, but those who know him realize that he flies with his hair on fire. Could be the explanation for his baldness.

About thirty minutes after that call, he called back to tell me he had spotted a skinny, stray Boxer-looking dog running alongside the highway, and that he was now out of his car trying to find the dog. (For those of you who don't know it, we are Boxer lovers !)

AnodeMan parked his rental car just off an access ramp and with a cold waffle in hand (you know the kind you get for breakfast at La Quinta), and was searching for this dog that had disappeared into the woods. We visited for a few minutes until he spotted the dog again so he abruptly ended our conversation.

About twenty minutes later, my caller ID informs me that AnodeMan is calling back. The conversation sounded something like this:

OK. I found the dog. He is a beautiful Boxer but too skiddish to let me get too close. I have fed him most of the waffle, so he's not running away.  I've walked too far from the car for him to follow me to it, and I'm afraid of losing him. He is starving to death. I need you to call animal rescue and have them come help me with him.

Where are you?

Turlock, California.

Maybe you could narrow down your exact location just a bit more.

OK. I'm off Highway 99 somewhere close to Taylor Road. Actually, I may be the next road north of Taylor Road. I've walked a long way.

Well, that does narrow it down a little. I'll call you back.

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I dial 411 for Turlock, California, and ask for animal rescue. The operator gives me the number and I dial it.

Turlock Police Department.

If this is an emergency dial 911.
If it concerns ___________ dial 1.
If it concerns ___________ dial 2.
If it concerns ___________ dial 3.
Finally...
If you are trying to reach animal control, dial 7.

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Conversation:

Turlock Animal Control. This is Brenda. How may I help you?

Brenda, this is Kathy calling for my husband who has found a stray Boxer and needs help getting it to an animal shelter.

What is his location?

I'm not exactly sure because he is not exactly sure. The best he can tell me is that he's off Highway 99 somewhere close to Taylor Road.

Well, that's not in our jurisdiction.

Can you give me the number of who I need to call?

Just a minute. I'll see if I can connect you.

Thank you.

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Next Conversation:

Modesto Police Department.

May I speak to someone in animal control, please ?

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Next converstaion:

Modesto Animal Control. This is Steve.

Steve, this is Kathy. I'm calling for my husband who has found a stray Boxer and needs help getting it to an animal shelter.

What is his location?

Somewhere off Highway 99 north of Taylor Road.

Well, we only have one officer on duty today, and he's out on a call. His location is quite some distance from your husband.

Is there not a police officer in the area who might help him?

Well, unless it's an emergency or a traffic issue, probably not.

My husband parked his rental car on an off ramp, on an access road, and I think it might be tying up traffic, Steve.

I'll see what I can do.

Steve, what is your phone number ?

209-558...

Thank you.

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Next conversation.  It's AnodeMan again:

Hey. I used my iPhone to pinpoint my exact location and can tell you that I'm close to Mountain View, North Golden State, and Warner.  I can see a Peterbilt sign. There is an intersection, but I can't read the name of the street.

Well, I'm not sure anyone is going to show up because the one animal control officer on duty is a long way from where you are.  Do you still have the dog?

Yes, he's here but won't come any closer. Even if I could pick him up, it's too far to the car to carry him.

I'll call Steve back and give him this information. Let me give you his number.

No, I probably don't have enough "juice" left in my phone to make any calls. The battery is almost dead.

What about your other phone?

It's already dead.

How can that be?  You took MY charger. Plug those things in every once in a while.

I can't hear you !

*******************************************************************

I dialed Steve's number and get this recorded message:

You have reached Stanislaus County Animal Services. 

For English, press 1
Para Espanol, press dos...

If you know your party's extension, press it now.
To report an animal emergency, animal nuisance, to fax a bite report...press 1
For the shelter location, press 2
For licensing and vaccination information, press 3
For information about spaying and neutering, press 4
To report a lost pet, press 5

To report that your husband is lost somewhere in Stanilaus county with a homeless, helpless, starving Boxer...

Short story long:  I reach Steve. Probably much to his dismay that a lady in Colorado keeps calling about her husband who is lost somewhere in Stanislaus County with a stray dog and wants the S.W.A.T. team to go find him...

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Conversation:

Stanislaus County Animal Services.

Steve?

Yes.

This is Kathy in Colorado, again.

(Silence)

(I can just picture him beating his head against his desk.)

Yes Ma'am.

I have more information about where my husband is.

(At this point I hear a message coming over his radio...something like this: OK, what's the 99 on that man with the dog...?)

(I'm  thinking: YES ! Steve really did report this and he really does have an officer responding to the call.)

Yes, Ma'am. And what is that information?

He's somewhere in the vicinity of Mountain View, North Golden State, Warner...and he can see a Peterbilt sign.  He's off the road, down a hill, in a grove of trees. No one on the street can see him...

Thank you, Ma'am.  We'll do what we can.

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I can't imagine that you might still be reading, but if you are...

An officer did find AnodeMan and the Boxer. The officer determined that the Boxer has been micro-chipped and he took it to an animal shelter where he's being fed and taken care of. The information on the micro-chip will be used to try to locate the owners. The animal shelter  will allow a week for the owners to respond.

If the owners do not respond...

(to be continued)

Oh, and by the way, AnodeMan didn't do  much work on those jobs this afternoon.

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UPDATE...Message from the Emergency Swampcast System !

AnodeMan just sent this photo of Boxer:

Suzy Bogguss - Sweet Danger

I can describe the last three days in ONE word:  BUSY ! BUSY! BUSY !  OK, maybe four words.

The intention this week is to create a post or three documenting our weekend in Moab, Utah.  We attended the Moab Western Stars Cowboy Poetry Gathering and had an absolutely fabulous time. As usual, my camera was attached to my face, and I took about a gazillion photos.  Usually, procrastination takes over, and it takes me a long time to scrutinize the photos and delete about half of them, but this time is different.  The photographer who was supposed to document the weekend did not show up. So, I've spend the last forty-eight hours preparing to send a-half-a-gazillion of my photographs to the event coordinator.  It is my hope to have them in her hands by tomorrow.

So, I'll just post a couple of photos and share this with you...  This was our second opportunity of hear Suzy Bogguss. Once at Country Jam and then again last Saturday night.  WOW! She has certainly reinvented herself. For those of you who think she only sings country music, think again.  Her sultry, jazzy, soul-ful sound certainly surprised me. She and her side-kick, Pat, harmonized, strummed their guitars, and  kept the sold out crowd mesmerized for hours. Pat also played harmonica and could create sounds on it that were spine tingling.

We purchased her new CD, Sweet Danger, and I haven't stop listening to it yet. You can take a listen at the links, but the samples there do not do justice to richness of Suzy's voice. The lyrics are included on the CD cover, and I can assure you that you will relate to at least one of the songs, if not more.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day from Bubba and Bug

 

     An itty-bitty
Happy Valentine's Day
    Wish for you
         from
   Bubba and Bug

Friday the 13th

Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the word for Fear of Friday the 13th.

Friday the 13th is the most widespread superstition. The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times, and their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year (there happen to be three such occurrences in 2009, two of them right in a row) portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear. According to experts it's the most widespread superstition in the United States today. Some people won't go to work on Friday the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date.

How many Americans at the turn of the new millennium actually suffer from this condition? According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias (and coiner of the term paraskevidekatriaphobia, also spelled paraskavedekatriaphobia), the figure may be as high as 21 million. If he's right, eight percent of Americans are still in the grips of a very old superstition.

Exactly how old is difficult to say, because determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it's mostly guesswork.

So, with that being said, Happy Friday the 13th...and while I'm at it, Happy Valentines' Day.

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That's about the best I can do today as we are headed out the door once again to go HERE.

Boxer Rescue Update

As promised on a previous post, here is the rest of the story about the lost Boxer that AnodeMan rescued in California. If you are not familiar with the story and interested in what's going on, just scroll down.

My hope was that the owner would be located and reunited with this precious dog. And that's exactly what happened yesterday.

But now, instead of being over-joyed, my feelings are ambivalent. There are questions in my mind:

Will the dog be taken care of ? Why was the dog missing in the first place ? How long had the dog been missing ? And, had the owner called the shelter to check to see if he was there ?

Of course, the shelter is not allowed to give us the owner's name so that we can let him/her know how much we bonded with his/her dog in those few short hours.

We are hoping that the animal control officer who helped AnodeMan the other day, will take our contact information and give it to the owner and maybe we will hear from him/her.

All we can do is hope that "Boxer" is home, safe and warm and dry, and has a full tummy, and is being petted, and loved.

For those of you who surmised that if "Boxer's" owner had not been found, we were going to try to adopt him, you are correct. We weren't sure what the shelter's policy was about someone from out-of-state adopting him, but we certainly were going to try.

For now, we just hope that "Boxer" is happy.

Surprise ! It's Your Birthday !

We aren't your usual party animals, but every so often, AnodeMan and I will drag ourselves out of the house and celebrate special birthdays with special friends. The following "marathon" of photos pretty much documents the evening. Let me warn you, the PG rating of this blog may not apply to this post.  In other words, you may find yourself gasping over one of the photos, but it was just too funny not to include. And yes, it does have a hidden meaning, but you'll understand it if you read sign language.

So, without further adieu, come along and join the fun...

 

~Our Host and Hostess with the Most and the Mostess~

 

Happy Birthday, Dear Leah.  Surprise !

 

"OK, was it you ?"

 

"No, it was you."

 

"So, it was YOU !"

Below is just a conglomeration of those who joined in the fun.  You can make up names for the line-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Did this pizza comes with instructions on how to open the box?"

"No need for a bottle opener...I"ll just use my teeth."

 

Don't believe anything he tells you.

 

Don't believe anything he tells you.

 

Don't believe anything he tells you.

 

And for sure, don't believe anything HE tells you.

 

"It's my birthday. Kiss Me."
"But don't tell anyone how old I am."

 

OK, we won't.

   

Anyone for Geman chocolate cake? Yummy !

 

Here, have a piece with a cherry on top.

 

"Me. Want. Cake."
"You. Want. Cake ?"

 

"See what happens when you give away German chocolate cake? "  "Sweet !"

 

Kelley seems to have gotten into something that made her eyelids snap shut.
Could it be tequila?
No, tequila makes your clothes fall off...not your eyelids snap shut.

 

There. That's better.

 

How many retired school teachers does it take to count how many slices of pizza there are in the box?

  

Evidently the person flashing the loser sign is dyslexic lysdexic. 
Nice hat, Steve. Or or those horns?

 

A friendly little "wave" for D.D.

 

Happy Birthday, Leah !

 

Whoops ! Leah ! Where is your hand? You may be old, but you still have a sense of humor.

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MESSAGES FROM THE EMERGENCY SWAMPCAST SYSTEM:

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1)

Following up on Rockin' Grandma's Mon Funday challenge yesterday, here is a clip that was featured yesterday on CNBC's Squawk on the Street "Beating the Odds" with Grand Junction's Mayor Gregg Palmer.

CLINK THIS LINK

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2)

We are still waiting to make a connection with the Stanislaus Animal Shelter to find out if the Boxer's family has been located.  (See post below.)

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3)

For those who have never visited a blog, be sure to click the little word "comments" at the bottom of the post. Most of the time, those comments will give you a chuckle or two.  There's always something going on here at The Asylum, so ya'll come back now, hear?

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4) If you didn't watch the Westminster Dog Show Monday night, be sure to watch the rest of it tonight. The Working Group (Boxer) will be shown.  Here are two web-sites that you might enjoy:

Dogs Rule

Angels on a Leash