escape to florida

we went to tallahassee last week to escape the roofing that is going on here.

we hung out with fambly, ate tons of great food, went to shell oyster bar, a florida state vs unc baseball game, leon sinks (not spinks) where kevin got a tick bite and chigger bites and nacho and eli swam in sinkholes.

while we were at the baseball game, nacho and eli got up on the counter and ate 7 of rose's arthritis pills and a half bag of dog treats.

it was great to go down there and chill while the banging was going on here at home. it's going worse than i expected, and i expected hell.

the 4 roofers arrive at 730 am, and leave between 5 and 630 pm, taking an hour for lunch. the rest of the day is drilling and banging, with enough force that pictures fall off the wall.

they are about halfway done, and it has been 2 weeks.

no brag just fact

classic line, highly repeatable, by walter brennan in 'the guns of will sonnett'

brought to my attention by DAD

pig dog

i've never seen a dog wallow like this dog likes to wallow. he's like a divining rod - heads straight for the water, any water, and sprawls his goofy self out.

vote for kid D in OSU creativity challenge

far be it from me to skew the oh-so-pure democratic process, but if you have a minute and a mouse, please click this link, scroll down to the bottom and vote for Jennifer "JJ" Smith who would like to set a world record for the biggest blood drive.

vote for JJ - http://courses.msis.okstate.edu/fall2010/msis5643/Team17/poll.aspx

you can vote once a day now until saturday april 9. you don't have to register or give your email address or anything. simple.

good friend, good cause!

nacho had a little lamb

happy birthday eli vs the bears

today eli turns 7. he's a good boy.

he had a big weekend. this photo is a reenactment of what happened.

he was off-leash on a quiet mountain road around 11AM. all of a sudden, he bounded down the side of the hill off the road, ears up. there were two tiny bear cubs and a giant mama bear.

right there.

the bear cubs scooted up the tree, the mama bear held her ground.

eli got within a foot or two of the mama.

the 4 people on the road started screaming "ELI! ELI! ELI COME! COME! COME HERE ELI!"

eli turned around and came back. we kept walking. we were 15 feet from the bears. it was freakin crazy.

scaffolding

you'd think they might be painting the house, but no. just replacing the mossy roof. the flaking paint will continue to flake, until something major happens like a wall caves in.

also, the refrigerator broke today. the freezer is at absolute zero. a bottle of vodka is frozen solid. i didn't think alcohol could freeze completely but i was wrong. rock hard vodka. the refrigerator is a balmy 40ish degrees.

maintenance takes forever.

were there ever any question as to why the ceiling caved in

moss grows fat on a steep pitched roof

the new kid

we've been dogsitting for this 8 month old 'lab mix' since tuesday. his name is nesta. i think he's lab boxer. his owner said the vet said he's lab collie. i see no collie in this dog.

he's very smart and TOTALLY HOUSEBROKEN which is awesome.

he's snuggly and sleeps on the couch next to humans. he's generally mellow, though he has spent some time attacking eli and nacho's jowls and ankles and ears, and they have shown great patience for the most part.

he has eaten one dustpan handle, one holden figurine, one pound of almonds, and unraveled one spool of dental floss.

he's small and sleek and nimble and next to him, nacho and eli seem like grumpy old hippopotamuses.

fun fact

some people call polar bears ICE BEARS.

sign of the times

as gas prices climb

ceiling chunks keep falling, now with bonus black mold!

the conditions have become, dare i say, untenable. chunks of plaster are falling. damp plaster. covered in mildew and black mold. surgical masks required. at least it's not snowing.