Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Spunkygal]

“beat him unmercifully”

Really, Netfoot? It’s not like he ripped off a child’s face. You two are not communicating and he probably does need a new home. 

[Rootbeer]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

He learned to poo outside in two weeks. But for the last six months he has insisted in hosing down the entire house with pee every single day.  I've been getting up at 4:00 AM to open the door so he can get out to pee if he needs to. And he does go out at 4:00 AM, to bark down the neighborhood, taking a break from that only to come back inside and hose the place down with pee.

He has been banned from the house for ever. If I catch him inside, I will beat him unmercifully. But that is only until I can find another home for him. He and I are done. If nobody will take him, I will carry him to the RSPCA where he will enjoy four final days of life behind bars and then the stinking little pee-factory will end his career.

Maybe in the four days some fool will take him. Some fool who loves him knocking over, chewing up, pissing upon or generally destroying everything of value he he can get his hands upon. But it won't be me. 

I am so sad to hear this, but it sounds like the two of you are incompatible.  I pray he finds a home with someone who is able to work with him and train him.  Buddy was a tough act to follow and Mo came along so soon afterwards.  Maybe you just need a break from dog ownership.

Please do not beat the dog for entering the house.  He has been sleeping in your bed for months, he is not going to understand why you have decided to banish him.  If I lived closer, I'd take him or find someone who could.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Rootbeer

[Netfoot]

7 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

I am so sad to hear this, but it sounds like the two of you are incompatible.  I pray he finds a home with someone who is able to work with him and train him.  Buddy was a tough act to follow and Mo came along so soon afterwards.  Maybe you just need a break from dog ownership.

Please do not beat the dog for entering the house.  He has been sleeping in your bed for months, he is not going to understand why you have decided to banish him.  If I lived closer, I'd take him or find someone who could.

Do t Don't worry. He isn't going to get beaten, banished or sent off for euthanasia. Right now he is enjoying a chicken dinner I just cooked for him. There is a pat pad just inside the front door so he doesn't have to sit/lie on the tiles, and his crate is still located right next to my bed and on the same level, so he can walk back and forth with ease. 

We just got back from the club where he accompanied me on a walk right around the property, and spent the afternoon as king of his roost. He even went out into the driveway, and standing in the middle of the road, made Unka Rudy ask for permission to enter the property.

He was busy the whole afternoon and came home to his chicken dinner as happy as a clam.

I'm not sure what to do about the crate. It isn't ours, and it will have to go back. He will either have to settle for sharing the bed with me, or I will place a nice bit of carpet (or an old sofa cushion) where ever he wants. Just not sure how to ween him off of it (the crate).

Hrs manages He's managed to damage his new collar somehow, and it will have to be replaced again before too long, but I think it coan go a little while longer before I have to make him another one.

Quiet day at the club with several people complaining that it was too windy to fly comfortably.

CoughCoughCliffCough!!

Dunno what to have for dinner. I have spuds I could bake, plantains I could microwave (or even slice and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon before frying), I could heat up some beans, but (beans aside) what about protein? Eggs? Bangers? Got chicken and even a steak or two -- frozen solid.

I think the happy pills Dr. Kristi gave me may be bringing on dome some of the symptoms of MG which I spent years and thousands to defeat. No loss if of function specifically, just a great deal of weakness and tiredness. I'll text her Tuesday and see what she says. I'm hoping I don't need the stuff any more, unless the arrhythmia returns.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

A couple nights ago I shared a glass of milk with Mo. He has his own bedtime bowl.

Had!

This is how my right arm gets treated when I am trying to use the phone.

And this is the left, which is more exposed when we are driving somewhere.

He doesn't understand about warfarin.....

Edited April 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Settled for the complex dinner of cheese and tomato on whole wheat. I really, really wish I'd had some soup/stew to eat, or anything warm, for that matter. Hope I can get out of bed tomorrow.....

[Netfoot]

Just to be clear, despite my rant yesterday, I can assure you, Mo isn't being locked out if of the house, getting cruel and unusual (or in fact, any) punishment for normal doggy behaviour, being deprived of food and water or plenty of physical love and attention. He slept right next to me in the bed last night, received a good breakfast, and has spent the morning at his usual pastime of finding stuff I didn't realize I still owned, dragging it outside and playing with it until it breaks. Today, it was a wire wheel for the electric drill, and a paint brush. His collar is standing up, despite the damage it's received (nothing I can see him doing to have caused it). 

I can assure you, he's going nowhere. Unless you count up to the club this afternoon with me. There is some minor maintenance work planned, but nothing to prevent a puppy from running around and generally having some fun and fresh air.

In fact, we are only waiting until 2:00 so I can take my lunchtime meds before we go.

As for lunch itself, I haven't got anything easily consumable in the fridge right now, and I doubt I'll be in any state to cook tonight, so it looks like an unplanned fast day for me. But tomorrow, I might cook another soup/stew like a few days ago, only maybe change to the ingredients a bit. 

It will be Tuesday, first day after the BH, and I want to get Dr. Kristi's OK to stop taking these happy pills, seeing as I've been feeling more and more "bad-feels" since I started them. And I will probably go see if anything interesting has shown up in the supermarket to go into the pot. I'm also genuinely short on some meds now, and hopefully the pharmacy won't give me any more bull about dispensing before the due date.

Laying in a mess of (largely) his own making, the little mad man is waiting for the off! Which will be in 20 minutes.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I forgot to mention, that there hasn't been sight nor sound of a kite all day! I know Easter Sunday is the formal end of Kite Season, but it usually takea a few days for the kite flying to actually peter out...

Edited April 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

We arrived at the club in good time, despite being waylaid by a census taker as we were about to set off. Unka Rudy was there messing around with the duncs tree, and the only thing that tree is better at making than duncs themselves, are thorns! So, Mo and I set off on our usual circumambulation of the site. 

I dunno why he likes to walk in the bush, but he does, so...

We made the rounds with Mo covering about 3 times the ground because one minute he was way ahead, and the next he was behind. And he has a tendency to overshoot the turns and have to make his way back.

You can see rab-land to the left, some searched and researched cane to the right, and if you zoom right in, you may be able to make out that the little black pixel in between is Mo, "following" me on my walk.

 

[Netfoot]

As we went along Mo passed the departure end of the runway and thought the walk was over, but had to rethink when he realized he had run back to the club, but I hadn't. 

[Netfoot]

You can just make him out, heading back to the clubhouse!

Our President and Chairman arrived at about that time,

and Mo came back out to help me conclude my walk.

[Netfoot]

Hmm. Our gate-posts may need a little attention.

Either that or the wind was blowing powerfully...

Yep, those boys are doing terrible things to our duncs tree again...

Edited April 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

But finally, Mo found himself back in the clubhouse, where (miraculously) a bowl of fresh water was to be found!

Afterwards, we went to inspect the work being done (and make a few managerial suggestions and comments). 

Such as "Ya think maybe ya trimmed a little too much?!??"

[Netfoot]

At this point, Raf arrived. No fool, Raf! No thorns to mess about with!

Then the focus switched from gardening to carpentry. I have no photos because the language got a bit blue. An example might be:

Tony: "You've bent the nail, Austin! What kind of man can't keep his iron straight?"

Aussie: "When last did your iron get a hammering, Tony?"

Raf: You should have asked me! I have hardwood nails. They never bend!"

Rudy: "It may be true that they never bend, Raf, but according to Maria, they are not very long....."

And so on and so forth while I kept Mo's ears covered to avoid any corruption.

Mo got quite a bit of a workout, as we took turns throwing a ball.for him. He hasn't quite got the game worked out yet. He doesn't realize that after retrieving the ball, he has to bring it back if the game is to continue.

Once the labor was completed the rum came out and a buncha "greenies" as well. And we had one two quite a few for the road.

Then it was home time, and I suspect Mo will sleep like a 'teef' tonight.

No food for me because I'm still feeling like I was hit by a steamroller and dragged for a couple of miles. Dr. K. had better authorize a reduction in these happy-pills. She keeps saying her medical degree trump's my Google search, but....

I think I've probably got enough energy to boil water, so tea is not out of the question. If I can find the energy to wash the mug...

This morning, after waking at 7:45, I found myself sleeping on my keyboard at 9:30. I wonder if I can get to sleep tonight.

Just quickly: I spotted three noisy kites on the way up to the club this afternoon. Census Guy said they were as thick as mozzies in a swamp in Oistins where he lives. You know, right in the approach path to the aeroport, where none of the arriving holiday makers are contemplating what happens if a turbofan engine inhales a six-foot Mad Bull?

And: put the wheelie-bin out this evening. I have no idea when or even if they will come to collect it.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo is in bed just now, giving me mega kisses on the mouth. Maybe he just likes the taste of the tea I had earlier?

When Dotty was a puppy, I was sitting in a low, armless chair listening to music, with a mug of tea on the floor next to me. Suddenly, there was a very distinct "Lap, lap, lap!" sound. Dotty apparently liked tea I tried Budweiser but he wasn't all that keen. But Mo is showing signs of being a tea-drinker. Or maybe he just loves kisses...

When not racing back and forth like a lunatic, I think he's favouring his left front paw. Hard to tell. Maybe someone stood in his toe. Maybe he picked up a thorn under the duncs tree? I will look out for his behaviour tomorrow, and give him a thorough exam if necessary. Unfortunately, some form of anesthesia will probably be required.

I'm really beat. Been having trouble getting to sleep early,  waking up to the alarm and staying awake during the day. Mo has departed - no doubt to return, but I am going to draw a line across the day right about now.

[Netfoot]

Soup!

Dr. Kristi said I can stop the happy-pills. So, we will see if there is any improvement over the next few days.

Again, no breadfruit but I got a sweet potato. Chicken white meat, browned in oil along with diced onion. Then some carrots and add chicken stock. Diced potatoes and belly-pumpkin next.

Then I got out the all-purpose flour and some corn flower (experiment). Salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes (another experiment). Enough hot water to make a sticky dough, which I rolled into snakes and cut up into individual dumplings. Both kinds.

The reason for the two dumpling styles allows different flavoured dumplings in the same pot. Say, one type with garlic and one with sugar (ugh!).

A tin of diced tomatoes some spices, and leave it on a low heat until everything is cooked. Except the sweet potato which I somehow completely forgot to include.

It tastes good! My only thoughts are with the red pepper flakes in the dumplings. Those flakes being what they are, one half of a dumpling might have none, while the other half might have two or three! I like the heat, but it might be better to go with a more finely divided pepper (like cayenne) which can be incorporated more uniformly into the floury mix before adding the liquid and make the heat level of the dumplings more consistent. You could probably improve the dumplings by using stick stock rather than water to make them. 

When this pot goes down a little bit, I will consider adding the sweet potato, and possibly some plants plantains in as well.  We'll see.

Right now, I am dragging my warm, well-fed tummy into bed. Baby is sleeping on the floor next to the bed, but I'm hoping to persuade him to come up for a cuddle before I fall asleep.....

 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Tried to take a nap. After a while, Mo joined me. There was some good cuddling, then he sat on my head and looked out the window. I would have laughed, but I didn't want to disturb him.

Later, still unable to sleep, we cuddled s while more, then I caught him eating a 3"  fish hook! I don't even fish, so I have no idea where he got it from. A bit of a battle to get it from him, because he still refuses to do anything I tell him.

After the fish hook incident, he came and sat on my head again, to look out the window. There is no need to sit on me to peep out. Buddy did it all the time and Mo himself has done it often enough. I just believe he thinks sitting is more comfortable.

Been thinking about my soup/stew. One thing I hate in soup/stew is rice or pasta. (Another thing I hate is arithmetic.) But if I had rice or pasta the soup/stew might be used as a sauce to go in top.

Not this particular brand I admit because of all the variety of vegetables and also, there is quite a bit of broth. Maybe my next pot will be more of a sauce for pasta. Or rice. Or even baked potatoes. Or chips. If the Canadians can have poutine, Bajans should be able to dream up something versatile to be put on chips! Or roti-skins which I can't even dream of cooking, but which are for sale next door.

In fact, maybe my next effort will be a big pot of curried everything. That will go with roti-skins to make rotis. Or with chips, baked - or mashed - spuds, rice, pasta or simply bread.

A big pot of Rip-&-Dip.

When I was a kid I quite liked Rip-&-Dip but not Potatoes-&-Point. Been a long time since we had Potatoes-&-Point, but may be not so long before we have it next, eh? But don't worry, Mo won't be reduced to that! 

I've just realized that yesterday all I had for the entire day was a cup of tea. Today I had a bowl of soup and a glass of water. I'm definitely not myself, these days. I feel I should go get a Sprite, add lime juice and Angostura. But I think I will save that until dinner. Which will be more soup. Maybe with some toast. Prolly not, because I can't be bothered.

Oh, SSA came today. Which is a Tuesday but because of the BH more like a Monday. So, I'm still no wiser as to which day they should be expected. And I asked the guys who said they too, have no clue!

[Netfoot]

Forgot to add I put in some thinly sliced salt-kine as well.

[Netfoot]

I've gone back to.bed. I've been trying to ignore it for a while, but I'm exhausted. I haven't had a good night's sleep in months. (And I'm using the new definition of "good night's sleep" I developed 31 years ago when I awoke to find the house ablaze, and the floor a pool of molten vinyl I had to walk through to get out if the place.)

I'm so tired I can't make myself fall asleep at night, but I will fall asleep at my desk 3-4 times a day, sitting at my desk and end up with an impression of the keyboard on my face.

Mo is with me now. He is spending half his time using my tummy as a trampoline and the other half batting/scratching at my hand/arm for the son sin of ignoring him long enough to tap out this message.  Oh, he's gone. No, he's back again. Come give daddy cuddles. Now he's attacking my typing hand again. He's such a sweetie. I have to figure out how to ween him off the crate/cage so he comes and sleeps with me instead. (Plus the crate has to go back to the Ark, soon.)

And now it is Sumo wrestling where I'm being pinned to the mattress while my back is licked (weird feeling).

I have to go get my "Lunch" meds and a bottle of water so when the alarm goes at two, I won't have to move. Mind you, I've overslept my wakeup alarm by an hour or more, most days this week. Lunch itself was cheese & marmalade on bread because I didn't have the energy to light the stove and heat up some soup. (Mo has decided he likes cheese & marmalade, by the way.)

There is a brand of cheap rum around here labelled ESAF after the founder of the company, Mr. E. S. A. Field (established in the 1600s). Wags refer to it as "Eat, Sleep, And F***" which is all drinking it leaves you time to do. Well, I'm going to ESAP (pee).

I will post the occasional photo of Mo, seeing as how many friends he's got, but I doubt there are going to be many photo ops here in bed. Now I'm going to fetch my pill box(es) and a bottle of water. And to see what mischief he's up to (because he's vanished again) and try to persuade him to come back and keep me company.

Mo assisting with the repairs to the roof-guttering at the club this weekend. The really remarkable thing was watching him get it down off the roof in the first place!

ETA: Someone around here is cooking a very sweet pot and it's wafting through the bedroom window in a most tantalizing fashion!

Edited April 21, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Puppy woke me up to discover that this giant Ugly Stik had maidened at the club today (complete with congratulatory Cuba Libre christening) while I slept abed, feeling poorly.

And now I have the world's worst sore throat, and not a single Salt-prune  on the planet any closer than Trin-City mall in Trinidad!

I'm going back to sleep.

[andidante]

I hope you feel better soon Netfoot!

[Netfoot]

20 hours ago, andidante said:

I hope you feel better soon Netfoot!

Thanks. With any luck... But the root of the problem is probably 10 years old, and I simply don't have what it costs for the recommended treatment. 

So, with any luck I can shake it off and get back to managing as best I can. I gotta go to the bank tomorrow, what Trinis call "trying to make a dollar out of ninety nine cents."

Mo has been good today. The only thing he destroyed (that I could find) was a bottle of BNT powder I use on cuts and scrapes. No idea how he got it, unless he climbed up onto my desk. It's expensive stuff, and when I found it, the top had been bitten completely off. But! The powder was still inside. Not that I can use it any more, but at least it isn't inside Mo turning his guts to mush!

He's also been sweet and cuddly and he's right here now where I can pat his head. Raf said he was coming to steal all my R/C stuff. When I reminded Raf that my house was equipped with anti-burglary technology

he stated that he would only have to bribe that technology with sugar cane! The guys have been eating cane from the nearby cane piece, and borrowing my knife to peel it. (So if they see the Overseer coming, they can drop everything, walk away, and say that it's my knife there amongst the peelings and half-eaten cane!)

Now, apparently, they've got Mo hooked on sugarcane, so as to make him an easy target for bribery. With friends like these guys... Reminds me of an old Tradewinds song from the days of my youth, which I doubt ever made it onto YouTube... Pity. The Tradewinds had a number of amusing little tunes about life.

Edited April 21, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So, let me tell you about my day. Which begins, so to speak, last Wednesday morning, when I awoke to find out that some unscrupulous internet heroes had made 10 unauthorized transactions on my credit card.

The bank AI spotted that something was fishy and blocked the last seven, but they still got away with $201.00 off my card.

I called up a very helpful lad (named Ryan) who walked me through the dispute process, assured me that they had had so many thousands of these scam transactions (over a 2 minute window between 5:08 and 5:09 AM that there would be no issue with the dispute), cancelled the card, ordered me a new one, and promised me that I'd get it Tuesday, because Monday was a BH. Well, the last time they promised me a new card in less than a week, it took 27 weeks before I finally got it. So, I gave them a couple extra days and went in this morning to collect it. And while I was at it, put a few dollars in the account so I can pay the utilities.

I got there at about 11:30, and I didn't count the length of the line  in the corridor outside the bank, but maybe 8-10 people in front of me, to be allowed into the bank itself. I spent two hours in that line, watching one person after another walk past the line, high-five the doorman, and go straight in. Just as my right leg was about to collapse, I was summoned into the bank... and told to join another line of 12 people! Since they only had two cashiers working (athelete's foot, no doubt. Or supply chain, or Ukraine, or some good reason to be sure), I finally made it to the cashier. (In only an additional 30 minutes.)

Whereupon I completed my business in less than 90 seconds, despite the fact that the card was waiting and had to be fetched and signed for.

It was 3:00 PM by time I got home. The bank is in the mall, literally across the road from my house. If you looked at the kite-flying video, then you saw the mall underneath it. I completely rejected my original plan to go looking got for ovenware when I was done with the bank.

There was nothing to eat waiting at home, and I didn't feel like standing for another minute, not even in the kitchen. So, I drank a Sprite, and called it a meal. I'll drink a cuppa tea this evening -- maybe two -- and call that a meal as well!

I dunno exactly where Mo is right now, but I'm going to go find him, give him a cuddle, and go back to bed.

Hark! I hear some canine conversation outside! I'll go give him that cuddle, and rescue what ever it is he's destroying and then get horizontal for a bit.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I have nothing planned. I'm wondering what exactly could go horribly wrong tomorrow?

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Let me tell you about two new toys Mo has been playing with -- without my knowledge, of course. First, stolen presumably from the kitchen and then dragged through the mud:

That's a 5" blade.

And second, no longer satisfied with stealing my bookmarks (which he has been doing) and making me search for where to resume reading:

This book cost $26.99 and it still may be legible but now with the covers torn off and the corners chewed, I couldn't give it away.

Mo is just the most inconsiderate, bad-behaved little boy I can imagine. And shows no sign or remorse whatsoever.  If he has decided tearing up books is fun, he will tear up every book in the house, one by one, just as it suits him to do. I already have to store so many things six feet or more above ground level, but I can't have everything on a high shelf because I don't have that many high shelves!

What can I do? Just ban him from the house? Turn him into a yard dog? I don't want a yard dog. But what value a house puppy who you can't leave unattended for a moment because he will drag a months supply of meds outside and let the rain fall on it, or rip up the upholstery in the van for the sheer fun of it? 

Got up this evening and went through the process of recovering my shoes. Amusing, but I only have that one pair of shoes and when he finally succeeds in destroying them, I will be barefoot!

If I lock him out at night, he makes so much of a racket all night long that I swear to you, the neighbors will poison him. I've already started receiving warnings. 

If I have him inside, the moment I go to sleep he wreaks havock on everything he can get his little hands on. Unless I lock him in his "crate" (it's a cage, let's be honest). In which I could just put him in a glass bowl like a goldfish.

He shows no sign of affection. He gives kisses but only to discover what you've been eating. He chews and bites constantly, won't stop even when in the car and thinks "No" is a challenge he must win. 

I love the little bastard but I don't know what to do to turn him from an absolute monster into a decent puppy. Of course, I could castrate him, but that is one form of behaviour modification I find repugnant.

Right now he's outside, not coming to bed because he fears what punishment he will receive for tearing up the book. (None, obviously. What could possibly persuade him he's done wrong and shouldn't do it again?)

And now my bloody internet is coming and going for no damned reason -- I've had to use the Microsoft Method on it four or five times already. (Turn it off, turn it on, and pray.) Or as some like to call it the Three-Rs of Microsoft technical support: Retry, Reboot, Reinstall.

You know, I only just got off the anti-stress tablets and am starting to feel a little better. 

Well, I better go see if I can persuade a little boy to come to bed...

[Netfoot]

Items stolen today (so far):

Anti-reflux medication I keep by my bed, just in case. He didn't eat it, thank goodness because who knows what it would have done to him?

A Swiss Army knife (genuine Victorinox) I've had for years, along with the original leather case and belt-clip. Knife undamaged, case roughed up a bit.

Change-bowl, including $5-6 bucks in change. Coins had to be recovered from all over the yard; bowl busted beyond recovery.

I've asked before, but let me ask again, for any advice on how to wean Mo off the "crate". Any special procedure? I've googled but most responses imply that the puppy spends 24/7 in the crate, whereas Mo spends very little time in his, going in and out at will, and never being actually locked into it.

I think I will just move it back away from the bed, lock the door(s) so he can't jump in, and see what happens next.

[Netfoot]

Eating ice on a warm Friday afternoon.

I shaved my head and beard this afternoon. First time since the day I met him. He hasn't noticed yet...

[Netfoot]

Brand new USB charge/data cable:

[Netfoot]

Kisses for Daddy!

If you are like me you watch the occasional Tips&Tricks video on YouTube. Electronics, cooking, dressmaking, woodwork, etc. And probably, you think "Those tricks are clever, but I don't actually have a Geiger counter, so my garlic bread will have to remain imperfect!"

Well I recently saw one and when I tried doubtfully, it worked exactly as described!

Imagine you're in the kitchen, and you have a new jar of spices of some sort. In my case, red pepper flakes. There is a screw-on lid with a flip-up section that exposes holes the spice is supposed to sprinkle out of.

Eventually, when you have used enough and crated a space at the top of the jar, you give a quick shake, and out sprinkles your desired spice! But when it's new, you can shake to your hearts content and... Nothing. 

So don't shake.

Hold the jar in one hand, the screw-on lid in the other, and make back-and-forth ¼-turn motions between jar and lid. Works like a charm. And eventually there will be enough empty space at the top of the jar that you can resort to normal old sprinkling. Just don't overdo the degree of turning motion. You don't want 12 oz. of red pepper flakes (or anything else) in what ever it is you're cooking!

I'd like to hear if anyone tried it and agrees that it works. And if you knew this secret all these years and never said anything... 

Today was Unka Rudy's birthday. He won't tell, but we think he's around 88 years old. But maybe not, seeing as he is still drinking rum and chasing teenaged girls...

Mo is outside barking. Periodically he comes in to give my face an examination, complete with many kisses. Unfortunately, when I try to close the door for the night he runs back to the door faster than I can, and goes out again. A couple nights ago I begged him for 20 minutes to come inside and he sat in the garage and ignored my every word.

PS: Lunch today was a sort of indescript red sauce over some very lack luster pasta what evil villein invented pasta "shells" to torment us?!?? In a world wherein Cavatappi exists, we should never have to tolerate "shells", "bow-ties" or "spirals". 

Dinner was equally mundane, because it was the same thing as lunch.

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Tried moving the crate away from the bed tonight. Since it is elevated to bed height but no longer adjacent to the bed, Mo couldn't get into it. (The door was closed anyway.)

Mo jumped in the bed and was very playful and loving for a while, but it soon became apparent he wanted his crate. 

The point isn't to make him uncomfortable. So, I moved the crate back into it's usual position. Pretty soon he was back in his usual position. I'll try something else tomorrow night.

But notice, he's not asleep. Right now, if you are gentle, you can reach out and stroke his ears, the fur on his head and noseie,  and even his whiskers.

But he's not asleep. As soon as the light is extinguished, he will come out and snuggle. He won't snuggle the entire night through. He will be back and forth as the mood takes him, throughout the night. And if I get up to pee (thanks, Lasix!) He will charge at breakneck speed to the front door. And will be annoyed when I get back into bed without going anywhere near the door. (You dare not let him out, because it will be a bark-filled hour before you get him back inside! Maybe I should get a biiig butterfly net.)

I find it hard to believe I'm the only person here with a puppy. Please post at least an introductory snapshot of your best baby. Heavens to Murgatroyd, a puddy-tat. A goldfish. Surely you guys have loved ones too?

[Rootbeer]

These are my furry children.  Scout is the little boy on the left, he is a Jack Russell mix.  Maggie, on the right, is a rottweiler/Bernese mountain dog hybrid.  Both are rescues.

As far as the crate goes, have you tried taking the bedding out of the crate and leaving it in a corner of the bedroom for him to lie down? Dogs seem to like having their own 'spot' and that could help Mo adjust to not having the crate.

To prevent chewing, I have found that there is a product called 'The Bitter End' available on Amazon and elsewhere,  A couple of spritzes on anything deters chewing.  The dog tastes the yucky stuff and drops it.  I've also used a household spray bottle with 90% water and about 10% vinegar.  Spray a little of that on stuff you don't want chewed and it is a deterrent.  And, of course, you need to have an assortment of balls, toys and other stuff on hand that he is allowed to chew.  Spraying the vinegar water mixture on areas where he's peed can also both cut the smell and discourage him from using that as his potty.  A trainer I knew used to housebreak her dogs by spraying all spots and, when catching the dog in the act, giving him just a little taste to remind him not to do it again.

Keeping him tethered to you in the house until he proves himself reliable can also work,  Use his leash, a rope whatever and, tie it to you, your belt, the chair you're sitting on, etc to prevent him from sneaking off and doing bad stuff.  If he starts misbehaving, a sharp 'No' and a quick tug to get his attention usually gets him to move on to other things.

I'm lucky enough to have a fenced yard and a dog door and it makes those midnight trips to use the potty much simpler.  They just take themselves in and out, makes housebreaking simple, too.  I got my little guy when he was just 8 weeks old and his sister taught him how to use the dog door within a few days and he rarely had an accident after that.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Rootbeer

[Netfoot]

You have cute babies! 

I personally (and many disagree) believe that a mixed-breed dog is best. They are usually quite unique, and appear to be sturdier/hardier than some of the very expensive pure-breed dogs I've known.

But it doesn't matter! What ever type of pup you have, you love them and they are the best.

I took away the crate yesterday and he was not happy. I think tonight I will remove the crate, but leave the separate, raised sleeping area with his bedding in it. Just to see if it is the enclosed crate itself he misses, of just having his own little bed right next to mine, that he can retire to when he feels like it. 

Last night as soon as I rolled over to read my book for a page or to, I felt him come out of the crate and snuggle against my back. During the night he moved around, often returning to his crate but quite a bit of snuggling. 

'The Bitter End' stuff sounds like a good idea. Once upon a time parents dipped their kids fingers in quinine water tp break the thumb-sucking ir nail-chewing habits. Maybe I can find a local alternative before going to Amazon. Great suggestion, either way.

Mo has his toys, some of which I am constantly rescuing from the yard. Maybe I need to get him a few more. 

It's been suggested to me to cover his water bowl at 6:00PM so as to prevent him from drinking --  as a solution to the peeing in the house. That strikes me as harsh. I know the British traditionally send their kids to bed "wivout their supper" as a punishment but I've never seen that as a good idea. The only way I could do something like that is if the kids wee being punished for wasting food, or something similar.

I've had the suggestion that a dilute spray of Clorox and water where he pees will deter him from peeing there again. Clorox seems like a great way to damage everything in the house. Bleach turns to (dilute) acid as it works so everything you spray it on will get bleached and eventually decay due to the acid. Vinegar sounds like a much more promising candidate. Will locate an untainted spray bottle and give it a try.

My yard is fenced (and my gate padlocked ever since the great, Budweiser vanishing act that I may have mentioned long ago). The house is open at all times, rain or shine, so long as I am awake and at home. The door opens first thing in the morning (rarely later than 6:00AM) and stays open util we go to bed (say 11:00PM) every night. If it's shut it's because I'm out o the house -- in which case Mo is with me anyhow. (He has his own mobile "no-Spill" water bowl in the van.)

So, thanks for the ideas, and thanks for the photo. Your Scout looks like he and Mo would be good partners in crime. What I need (and sorely wish I could afford) was a Maggie to quash some of Mo's more evil escapades. I promised my sweet Buddy a puppy for his birthday several years running but I could never stretch to it for a number of reasons.

One night prowlers entered my yard and left the gate open. Budweiser took this as license to absent himself from the premises for well over four hours -- more like six. Right after the word had gone out onto every lost-dog site in the country, he came sauntering home again. (ETA: Thats why the gate is kept padlocked.)

Yes, that is my Suzuki he is sitting on!

I hope others will post photos as well. I've promised to take Mo to the club this afternoon and tomorrow so hopefully we will have a handful of new snaps to post. The trouble is to remember to take photos when generally we don't just sit around at the club (unless there is rum involved, and that introduces an entirely different set of memory issues...)

And for the record, Mo ain't easy to photograph. He can be a pocket-rocket most of the day and the stupid cell-phone cameras with no viewfinder other than an LCD washed completely out by the tropical sun don't help. Hell, you can't even buy a good Point-and-shoot camera today with an actual viewfinder, unless you're spending big money on an SLR or something! But we do what we can.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Giant, puppy-eating monster, hunting near our clubhouse!

Mo only went out, stood in it's path and confronted it the one time...

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Giant Ugly Stik being assembled at the club 

Ready to go!

[Netfoot]

Hand-propping the 5½ horsepower, 55cc finger-remover with a 22" prop spinning at 8,500 RPM.

Engine running, all fingers still attached.

ETA: Computed prop-tip speed is 359.97 miles per hour.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Takeoff and 30 seconds of flight. Use a big screen or you won't see anything in this video.

Longer version of the same video with a cameo appearance by the Monster.

Four-minute video of the aeroplane being put through it's paces, including a landing and the usual rude comments that always follow...

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

What is my little Mouse playing with?

A mouse!!!

He ran off with it and we never saw it again, so I guess he will be supplementing his diet from now on?

[Netfoot]

Other aircraft that graced us with their beauty in flight today included:

Austin's new J3 Cub.

Rudy's Spacewalker.

Wayne's Extra 300 (assembled with help).

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Sad moments: wayne's P-51 Mustang

And his Tucano of which there are no "after" photos but this "before" exists:

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Tony also flew this model

which is attractive and works well, but neither Tony or anyone else knows what it is. (The original owner Karl, went for a swim, came home and promptly dropped dead without warning. He was a very nice guy and a helluva cook. Professional chef, actually.)

[Netfoot]

Then it was time for one two <some number less than a dozen> for the road. The club is reintroducing the long standing tradition that a maiden flight requires a bottle be donated to the bar. The giant Ugly Stik has just flown this week for the first time. So...

Mu Mo behaved like a little angel all day long (well, most of the day) including coming home, where he jumped right in the van when asked instead of leading me a chase for 10-15 minutes, then he didn't bite, scratch, claw or in any way try to facilitate a vehicular accident despite being unrestrained the whole way home. 

His worst behaviour all day was when we stopped to put $20 in gas in the car (barely enough to fill a Zippo, these days) and he gave the young lady pumping the gas all kinds of hell. I actually think he was trying to attract her attention to give her kisses and hugs but he acted like he wanted to eat her raw, from the feet up.

(He's been very kissy/cuddly all day with me. I think it's the lack of beard/moustache that still has him a bit facinated!)

ETA: With videos, multiple photos, a varied plot-line and the limitations on uploads to the forum, these stories sometimes require a number of posts to complete. Sorry about that. Most of you guys aren't the least bit interested in models anyhow...

Uh-oh! Weird noises from the bedroom, Gotta run to see what he's up to now!

Edited April 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Buddy used to catch mice all the time. He'd usually leave them where I'd find them. I doubt he ever ate one.

Today, Mo caught a mouse. It was a fieldmouse out on our airstrip, most unlikely to have been subject to any type of poison. We don't see them out there very often, so I doubt Mo is going to start chowing down on mice to any degree whatsoever.

Mo caught him, shook him, let him go and re-caught him... Generally played with him until he was dead. There is no taking anything from him if he wants to keep playing with it because Mo is rocketship quick, so he quickly took his dead mouse and disappeared behind the clubhouse. Shortly thereafter he returned without the mouse. I suspect that when he realized that dead mice aren't as much fun as live ones, he simply walked away.

Also today, while Unka Rudy (89, by the way) was playing with him, Rudy found a tick on Mo's back. Not a big, fat, swollen grape. More like a slightly shrivelled raisin. Out in the field like they frequently were, Bud and Dot would occasionally bring home fleas or ticks. But sometimes one tick is just one tick. 

What I have to do is keep a very close eye on him, and search him several time a day to see if this is an actual infestation or not. This is not a problem, except:

1) Mo doesn't like to be searched. Just checking his beard and between his toes for sweethearts and burrs can end in warfare. And he often wins the war because when he gets very physical, I let it slide rather than risk him hurting himself. But he will get searched several times over the next handful of days and if more ticks turn up, he will get a tick/flea/worm treatment.

2) Mo is inky black. The worst possible coloration for searching. Old Dotty was largely black but has a white neck, tummy, feet and the tip of his tail. Searching Mo's inky fur is going to be a challenge, especially if he isn't cooperating.

All that aside, he had a great day, discovering that the world contained cane harvesters, mice, and a lot of people who liked to pat his head. And now, he is "sleepin' like a teef!"

 

[Netfoot]

Just gave Mo a complete "Nose to Toes" checkout using a comb and my fingertips (which are pretty good at finding little bumps under fur; I've been doing it for years.)

Checked his beard and all around his mouth and face, his ears, his back and sides and his "ridge". All four legs taking special care around the joints and arm/leg-pits. Rolled him on his back and checked his chest, tummy, and all around his "Speedo Department". Between and under the toes of all four feet, his tail right down to the wavy tip, and (best fun of all) his butt.

Was able to do this by making it a new "game" which involves him seeing how many times he can bite me!

Not the slightest sign of any ticks anywhere. Obviously not conclusive, but I will check him again tonight and for several days to come. At the slightest sign of infestation, he will receive suitable treatment.

Some people medicate their dogs for ticks/fleas/worms every month. I don't, for the same reason I don't take cough-mixture every day.  I've had to treat both Bud and Dotty in their day, but usually they can go months - even years - between infestations, so why medicate when it isn't necessary? All you're doing is making the medication less effective, come the day it's actually needed.

Back to the club today. We probably won't have as big a crowd as yesterday

but it's really all about getting some fresh air and giving Mo a chance to run around and meet people.

I didn't take these but there were more cars and quite a few people more than these photos show.

I have a theory about doggies. You can treat them one of two ways.

1) You can lock them in the back yard so they live their lives thinking the world is 12 meters square. Or:

2) You can take them everywhere, let them see everything, swim in the sea, play on the beach, make a thousand friends, run out onto a cricket field in the middle of a match (preferably between overs so the ball isn't in play), teach cane harvesters who's boss, run and walk free with no walls or fences to restrict them and generally live a life.

When old Dotty died, literally thousands of people came up to me to give their condolences. People I didn't even know, but he did! It was the same with Bud. People who didn't even know I had a doggie (as far as I thought) stopped my van in the street to ask for him when they saw he wasn't aboard.

If I ever did anything right in my life, it was look after those boys. and I am doing my best to do the same for Molasses. When the food runs out, he will get the last of it. 

So, time to get ready to take him to the club. And maybe a few photos of him to share afterwards.

[Netfoot]

Mo eating sugar cane.

"It's good for him," they said! "Which one of you is going to tell that to his dentist," I replied?

Raf seems to have misplaced his hat....

[Netfoot]

You think he looks tuckered out?

Try convincing my neighbor and his wife who had to help me chase him around the neighborhood for 10 minutes when we got home!

Just chilling at the clubhouse. 

Pay no attention to the huge bloodstain on the floor...

[Netfoot]

So, I can either eat a pack of small sausages fried in a pan with a touch of EVOO, or a chicken breast cooked in the same pan.

I could also add a scoop of Mo's puppy-chow but don't fancy it.

There is also a tin of Trini-beans. (Just red kidney beans tinned by Matouk's in Trinidad - my favourite brand.)

Or, eggs. 

I'm leaning to the sausages along with a handful of eggs. 

Tomorrow will be early enough to start thinking about real food...

 

[andidante]

Eggs are always good! Sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest (at least to me!). 

[Netfoot]

I had egg and sausage. Eggs fresh out the fridge, sausage defrosted in the fridge overnight. It was all just fine and tasted perfectly good. First and only thing I've eaten for the day. Mo insisted on his share and enjoyed it, and has shown no I'll effects.

Within an hour I was taking Imodium for repeated bouts of "the belly". The Imodium is kicking in now, thank goodness. 

I have not been well. I haven't been eating properly, sleeping properly, and generally feeling tired and weak all the time. The stress from a local situation had me feeling so badly a few weeks ago, Dr. Kristi put me on happy pills. They worked fine to reduce the stress but made the weakness and tiredness worse, so I tapered off of that (with Dr. K's blessing).

I recently bought a new stove (cheap but nice enough for a man like me). I was very enthusiastic at first, but now I hardly look at it. When my stomach feels so empty I feel I must eat, I go in the kitchen hoping to find bread or crackers in the fridge (there isn't any at the moment) and some cheese, tomato, peanut butter, marmalade or something I can eat with minimum effort.

My phone alarm is set to wake me at a suitable hour, then remind me 15 minutes later to take my meds. When the "wake-up" alarm goes,  I take the phone and wedge it between my ear and shoulder and go back to sleep. When the "Breakfast Meds" alarm goes off, it rings for a solid hour, pressed against my ear, and not only don't I hear it, but when I do eventually wake, I'm three hours late for the meds.

I dunno what's going on. Little Mo comes and cuddles with me every night as soon as the lights go down and that is obviously hugely comforting. Here he is (with his beautiful pearly whites) just waiting to join me.

But I have to start eating normally, sleeping normally, treating people normally.

I've been switching back and forth between very being short and caustic with people one minute, and friendly and chatty the next. And that's been worse since my Credit Card details were compromised 12 days ago. (BTW, the offending company sent me an email today, warning me of the potential for trouble, 12 days after it happened, after I'd been fraudulently charged, after my card had been cancelled and a new card issued. 12 days before issuing a warning!)

Anyway, I have to get myself back on track. Tomorrow, I promise I will cook a decent meal. A pot of rice, perhaps, with stew-beef, cabbage, onion, tomato, sweet peppers, channa, maybe some sort of black-eyed peas or something. Or black beans. 

Yeah, let's hope I do that instead of sucking peanut butter off a spoon and calling it lunch!

[Netfoot]

A spoonful of peanut butter is looking awfully appealing, right now...

[Netfoot]

We had two days of good weather at the club this weekend...

(Unka Rudy with his Spacewalker, yesterday)

...and it's hosing down today. It's usually the other way around!

Anyway, seeing as I was only two hours getting out of bed this morning, I think I am going to retire to bed again, and see if I can get wee Mo to come snuggle.

I did cook the rice instead of eating peanut butter on a spoon. Not the best, but actually pretty good. Toasted the rice a bit while I browned some cheap beef (really stringy and tough, but that's what you get when you bargain hunt at the supermarket). Some pak choy, some channa, some brussel sprouts I found in the back of the fridge, diced tomatoes from a tin, and a bit of spices here and there. Forgot to add onion or regular cabbage, decided the remaining carrots were a little too suspect, and I think that was about it! Used beef stock instead if water.

The beef was tasty, but tough as old boot. This, despite being sliced thin. If I had a paw-paw tree I'd use the juice from the leaves as tenderizer. Except you don't know you need to use the paw-paw leaves until it's too late, do you?

Anyway, it tasted pretty good, and I plan to have another bowl tonight for dinner.

And now! Cuddle-time in bed with a little boy! Where has he gotten to?!??

Kissy! Kissy!

Bitey nozie!

Edited April 25, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The more it rains, the more he goes outside.

The more he goes outside the wetter he gets.

The wetter he gets the more he needs to dry off. 

The more he needs to dry off the more he jumps in bed and rubs up on me to get dry.

The more he rubs up on me to get dry the wetter I get.

The wetter I get the more it rains.....

 

Can't read (what's left of) my book, can't get a nap. And Raf keeps WhatsApping me about how great his Jeep is (that keeps getting stuck in the mud and has to be towed out) and how crappy my TownAce of Awesomeness is.

He sent me a photo of his two new Landrovers. I asked if he bought two so he'd always have one to pull out the other...

Edited April 25, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So, after a day when it positively sluiced down all day, the rain finally let up for a while, so I decided to take Mo for his pre-bedtime walk through the garden. 

It was positively soaking, out there, and I kept worrying I'd fall and break something, and me not even with a cell phone to call for help. (Only a crapaud bucket!) So, it's gingerly, gingerly, all the way.

Mo quickly does a widdle, but we carry on a bit further to see if anything else may be forthcoming.

There is a very bedraggled something sitting on a box in the corner of the yard. Can't be a crapaud - the wetter the better as far as they are concerned. Mo suddenly lunges forward, grabs it, and rockets back towards the house. It is a Ramia pigeon. 

I give chase as rapidly as I dare (which isn't very rapid) and catch up with Mo dismantling the bird in my bed! I give a shout, the pigeon escapes and makes it into the bathroom with Mo hot on what's left of it's tail. Another split second goes by, and Mo is heading back down the passage with pigeon gripped firmly in his mouth, leaving very little evidence as to what has occured right there in the bed.

I give Old-Man-Who-Is-Afraid-Of-Breaking-A-Hip chase again, but there is no getting close to the little Monster.

So, the little rotter is outside, subjecting that bird to unspeakable torture, probably eating it alive.

There really isn't anything I can do. It's impossible to stop him doing what he has decided to do, because you'd need a really big, Mo-sized butterfly net.

I just don't know what to do now. I am sure the bird has had it, but I don't want it's feathers and other less tasty parts all over the house. Or the garage, for that matter.

I think I'm going to go shut Mo outside for now. I have to take meds in an hour, and hopefully the bird will be gone by then.

You probably won't believe me that Mo has been thoroughly fed twice today, and each time he has had a treat with his meal (like a tin of sardines). So why he feels he has to eat Ramia pigeons that have been so beat-down by the rain (while Mo himself has had a warm, dry place to shelter) I have absolutely no idea. 

And you'd think that he would have picked up on at least one word out of the list of "No!", "Stop!", "Don't!", "Drop it!", and a dozen more like it that he hears every single day but has never yet once responded to in a positive way.

Now, let me take this camera horrible phone and see if I can find him and figure out what he's doing!

Yup. Like something out of a bad horror movie!

Edited April 26, 2022 by Netfoot