DH comes home midafternoon to find Sydney and Macalester running loose in
the kitchen with Laddie locked in the doghouse. He had left all the dogs
loose in the kitchen when he had left in the morning. He decided I must
have had a reason to lock Laddie in the dog house, so he left him there
with the other two loose in kitchen.

When I woke up a couple hours later, Sydney and Macalester were running
loose in the kitchen, but Laddie was still locked in the dog house. I
can’t take the dogs outside until I get my balance under control, so I call
down to DH to take the dogs out for a pee.

DH comes upstairs, and asks me why I locked Laddie in the doghouse. I told
him I thought he had locked Laddie in, so I had left him in. DH told me
all three dogs had been loose when he left in the morning.

I look over at Sydney and Macalester, and they are looking very pleased
with themselves. Best we can figure the Big Sister and Littlest Brother
ganged up on the Middle Child and pushed the dog house door shut with
Laddie inside. The door doesn’t easily latch, so it had to be a team effort
to get the door closed and latched.

I have two very naughty and clever pups. Poor Laddie, he’s outnumbered.

I was surprised at how much sharper the screen was. I didn’t have any complaints with the Nook Color screen, but the Nook Table screen is so sharp that I almost don’t need my reading glasses to use the device. It’s that easy on my eyes. I watched the first episode of the original version of “The Office” on Hulu Plus last night. Nice clear screen, good audio.

I’m finally getting to the point where it is no longer just an e-reader. I am now exploring the computer-like components of the system. I can read a couple email accounts on the device, use Facebook, and browse the web as long as I have a wi-fi connection or I have my cell phone tethered to it.

My main complaint with the Nook-Tablet-as-a-computer is the keyboard. One finger typing, seriously? I’m a (semi-sloppy) 55 wpm typist. So other than short responses on Facebook, I don’t use the Nook Tablet as an input device. Maybe this is the intention of Barnes and Noble: output vs. input. However, that feels like they are limiting the device’s usability — it’s just dying for a standard keyboard attachment or a keyboard that you can Bluetooth to it. Even the first iPad had a keyboard attachment for those who prefer that type of input device.

I give the Nook Tablet a solid B. I really like this device, but just one small change would put it over the top for me. Barnes and Noble, get the Nook Tablet a keyboard.

1. If your husband had the BIG V and you got pregnant what would your first reaction be?
Response: Obviously, the operation wasn’t a complete success. Not that we’d ever be in this situation: there’s a reason why we adopted.

2. Best memory about this summer so far.
Response: My dogs discovering the fan and sitting by it on the deck. You can almost hear them saying, “ahhhhhhhh!”

3. How often do you change your sheets? Your kids sheets?
Response: When needed.

4. Having just gone through TSA, would you rather have a full-body scan or a pat-down?
Response: A pat-down. I think that would be more fun with more opportunities for snark and bad puns.

5. Since it is fair time…what’s your favorite fair (county or state) memory?

Response: Getting soaked to the bone with my friend Snookie in a torrential thunderstorm after the Steve Martin grandstand show in 1977.

So, what would be YOUR answers to these questions?

After 10 minutes, Sydney decided I was not worthy to be in her presence, and gave me the cold shoulder. That, I totally expected, because that’s just the way The Squid rolls. But the Macalester snub really hurt.

However, Laddie was taking full advantage of the fact that the other dogs were ignoring me. He was right there next to me, jumping up on me, rubbing my legs, making sure I knew he still loved me and was glad I was back. He was glued to me, which actually started to become a problem because I was tripping over him!

At bedtime, Macalester decided I was good enough to sleep on, but not good enough for me to pet him. Sydney proceeded to use me like her personal sidewalk that night, hog the pillow, and lay her paws on my head. But, by morning, she decided I was to be forgiven — she gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and my nose before walking on top of me.

It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that Macalester decided he had punished me enough. He jumped up onto my lap, planted his head on my stomach, and demanded that I rub his ears for a good long time.

Sunday night, everyone slept in their places — including me, on the edge of the bed. All is fine with the Wall Scottie world — until I commit my next transgression. That will be this Saturday when I take them to the vet for their annual physicals and shots! Then I’ll be in the Dog House again.

• Sarah graduated from sixth grade. And she won a Presidential Academic Achievement award.
• State of Minnesota is shut down.School’s still open, and I’m glad my students won’t have their education interrupted… for now.
• The girls went to their first sleepover camp.
• People are disappearing at the day job.  Including my co-worker and my boss.
• The teaching job is going well. The summer class is always an interesting (in a good way) bunch.
• I can’t go on half the rides at ValleyFair.  I’m trying to work my ass off, but so far it’s not budging.
• My home office was clean for, oh, about an hour.
• I’ve scrapbooked for about 30 minutes in the last month.
• New computers for me and the DH.
• Rachel had her end of the year piano recital. She did a nice job.
• Keith Olbermann is back on the air.I’m getting my Olber-Snark back.
• New washing machine.
• My kids are starting to talk like my mother.  If they’d just clean up their rooms like my mother, it would be great.
• There’s something wrong with the central air conditioning.
• The Republicans are driving me nuts — here and in D.C.
• I’ve discovered The Current.
• The dogs are happy and raising Hell as only Scotties can.
• I have way-short hair and blue fingernails.

And so it goes.

I think that hits the highlights.  I hope to have something more coherent soon.  With photos.

_______________________________
*Random Bullets of Crap

Carol Anne

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

Saturday was the GTG for the TFTTF Minneapolis gang. We took our cameras and selves over to Como Zoo and the Conservatory. It was a good thing we could be indoors — it was a rainy day. It did give it up just long enough that we could get pictures of the animals that were out and about.

For some reason, everytime I got near an exhibit, the animals would move away. My fellow photographers didn’t move away from me, so I know it wasn’t B.O. Plus I’m a generally pleasant person, especially when the small types aren’t running around me saying “mamamamamamamama”. The animals would stay put for the other photogs.

We decided it was my purple shirt. All the other photogs were in blues or white. There I was in purple. (it was a cute purple shirt, too.) Oh well.

I had to leave early, because of the small types at home, and my fear of them running my sister ragged (be nice to the free babysitter, kids!). It started raining, so I popped up my umbrella, and walked to my car. Which was parked somewhere in outer Siberia.

As I was approaching outer Siberia, I noticed that I was walking by an exhibit — the back side. A small sign indicated it was the wolf area. The big white wolf sitting six feet away from me confirmed it.

I walk as close as I can get, expecting the purple shirt to send the wolf packing. Wolf stayed seated, and looked me in the eye. I greeted the wolf, commented on the weather, and asked what he/she/it was doing sitting out in the rain.

As I had this one way conversation with the wolf, we kept good eye contact. When I looked into the wolf’s eyes, I didn’t see a wild animal, I saw a familiar spirit. The same spirit I see when I look deep into my dogs’ eyes. Dogs are just domesticated wolves, and wolves are just wild dogs.

It was so odd to see something so familiar. The wolf wasn’t nervous around me, and I wasn’t nervous either. It was an odd sort of communion. So I did the obvious.

I asked the wolf if I could take it’s picture.

I’m fumbling with my camera, bag, umbrella (it’s raining — harder), and I’m trying not to make the wolf run away. I just keep talking, getting my gear together, and finally firing off a couple of shots.

The wolf is getting bored with me. But I keep talking, taking more pictures. The wolf decides I’m not too bad, and then poses for a final set of pictures.

We look at each other in the eye. It’s almost like looking at an old friend. Part of me thinks it would be so cool to just sit next to the wolf, and hang out. Watch it watch the world. But our lifestyles won’t allow that. After all, the wolf is a wild animal, even if it lets me yammer on much like my dogs do when we are out on the porch together. But this big white dog is not domesticated like my little black terrors.

I thank the wolf for it’s time and trouble, put away the equipment, and continue my trek to outer Siberia.

Carol Anne

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

I found out yesterday that the family-owned photo developer that I’ve been using for years will close up shop by the end of the month. This is the only place (other than the photo shops of China) that I trusted to develop my precious China photos because they do it in-house.

They found they’re not doing as much business because of digital — and because people aren’t traveling as much anymore. Pictures are snapshots on a cell phone, not something to be cherished.

Tonight, the owner of another local shop I frequent asked me and the other customers in the shop if we’d still come if he had to raise his prices. I don’t think he was joking either.

There are quite a few houses for sale in the neighborhood. The house that we called “The Republican House” (because it always had pro-Bush signs out during election years*) has either finally sold, or they took it off the market after 12 months. It’s hard to tell, because it looks as deserted as it always had these past 12 months.

One house that sold in the neighborhood has a great big “SOLD!!” sign on it. As if to celebrate that finally, someone, somewhere sold a house. There was also a celebrating in the newspaper that housing prices in the Twin Cities didn’t drop as much as they had in previous months.

We’re holding in there. The kids are getting some serious economic lessons every night at the dinner table, and every time we go grocery shopping.

Today at Target, we got most of their school stuff. The kids were happy to scrounge around to find things. Another mom doing the same type of shopping with her daughter was pointing out some bargains we had overlooked in the crayon department (24 colors for 29 cents!) The daughter was throwing a fit because she couldn’t get “cooler” folders. Sarah and Rachel were wide-eyed.

I thanked them later for not throwing a fit about the “coolness” of their stuff. I think they understand we splurge when we can (can you say Scottie stuff from Gymboree?), but try to watch our money otherwise. It’s a fine line, and I don’t know how much longer it will last. Sarah’s getting to the age when clothing, folders, etc. will start to matter as status symbols.

* Our neighborhood is heavily Democratic-leaning. Republicans stick out like a sore thumb around here.

Aren’t these lovely? I tell you, my dogs are the best!

Wound up going to Game Night anyway.  Bad, inconsistent mama.
However, Snookie, Sarah, and I made this awesome chair sculpture.