Rhodesian Ridgeback, a brace of terriers, and a Lab

   This morning's walk was pretty crowded, with all three of the boys along. What remains of the snow is icy in spots, which made for interesting terrain. It was sunny, though, and after awhile I had to take off my jacket. We ran into three dogs at the head of the trail, near the road; the Rhodesian Ridgeback was nice, but the terriers--leashed--were a bit hostile. We made the full circuit, in under an hour, and met a nice black Lab on the way back, with a teenager and a middle-aged woman who was probably his mom.

  At home it was time to work on food. We were committed to contributing rolls and some veggies to Syd and Ralph's Thanksgiving dinner; Mom made rolls while I cut green beans and Philip baked squash. At noon we went over with the food, that being the opening of the house. It was really nice to see the Seamans again. Isaac and Sydney appeared eventually, and the goofing off began right there. My feet are sore. X_X The food was good, though. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (not as good as Mom's), salad, and various pies. Various nice relatives. Mom and Philip had a nice chat with a well-turned-out blonde with nice cheekbones. Helen from southern Colorado may have been Isaac's grandma. I'm none too clear on various relationships. Oh and Dylan was there. The hair is no longer purple, but the front is blonde. He enjoyed New Moon. I'd actually been wondering if he was into Twilight, and there you go. Oh, well. Apparently Bella's with the werewolf in this one. I'd no idea there was anything approaching a love triangle. Interesting.

   The rest of the day was spent with a food-and-exercise hangover. Read some Campion. We watched Men in Black after the football game, which I tried to sleep through. Oh, and there was an ep of Hogan's Heroes on TV before Phil started trying to watch the game. In the end he gave up, and they listened to it on the radio while playing Monopoly. By that time I had a headache, though, and nobody tried to get me to play.

*ded* Managed, amazingly, to get out at more or less the usual time--possibly because Cheerios don't require as much chewing as frosted shredded wheat. Stephanie, Carole's successor, arrived as Lark and I were heading out, and then Syd called to talk to me about Isaac. I'm afraid she was pretty unhappy about the way he was acting on our walk the other day. -_-; She wanted to tell me if I ever want her to intervene, I'm to tell her, but otherwise she'll let me deal with it. Which is a relief, because I can deal with him, but not her dealing with him. Anyway, after we finished talking I had to go be introduced to Stephanie, and then we larked. It wasn't too hot. I was sweating pretty profusely when we got home, though--I think it was just humid. Hm. Stephanie was still here but Philip hadn't come yet; I wandered off to computer-land.

Philip called to say he'd get here eventually, and tomorrow morning we're doing to do the Incline and then leaving for Nebraska. Sheesh. And then I started packing.

Father Paul came by this afternoon, and said goodbye to me before he left. I have to say, that was not someone I expected to get a hug from, but oh well. I let him get away with it, anyway.

Went over to the Seamans' before dinner to tell 'em I was leaving. Now those are people I like to get hugs from. Er. Ahem. Syd promptly went over to talk to Grandma (taking a glass of wine along to drink) and I followed her, after talking to Ralph for a bit. When I came back Syd said she'd been thinking about it, and she'd like to come along when we do the Incline and see how she felt doing that. So I'm to call her in the morning and see if she wants to come. Although unfortunately she doesn't want to do it with us. What's with all these people who don't stick together on a hike?

Larked after dinner. It was pretty nice out, albeit a bit buggy, and we only ran into one person. He was standing at the edge of the pond, and he told me he'd seen a turtle there earlier and was hoping to glimpse it again. Sounds like a good cause to me....

Whew. Just managed to get up on time, then lost time calling Lark, when of course she was playing with Isaac. Also there was no paper. And my dress needed a lot of ironing. In the end, I was dressed but not combed or shod when Liz rang the doorbell--fortunately a bit early. She talked to Grandma while I finished getting ready, and then Syd and Syd brought Lark home, as she'd been playing over there. The kids were going home, so Lark had to come home too.

We got to church in time--just before the announcements began, in fact. Pretty close. Pastor Reese gave a sermon on Mortification, as the last in the series on Sanctification. It was unprepared but still good, largely based on Romans 8 and John Owen. Liz liked that Owen was named for him. :p We stayed quite a while after the service, partly so everyone could chat but mostly, I think, because Mr. Debenedittis is an elder or something and had to help close up. There was one window stuck, because the rope had been derailed and then jammed in the pulley, and everyone stood around watching Ben try to get it loose with a screwdriver while the elders/deacons offered assistance and their families offered suggestions. It was pretty funny--and I think everyone restrained themselves, more or less. I mean, we kibitzed and heckled, but nicely.

After church Liz took me to the Debes' for lunch. Shawn and Matt Stickel were there too, but a bit more familiar with the ground, as Matt is dating, or engaged to, or something, Rachel Debenedittis, and Shawn is his dad. Actually, I think they're just dating but everyone expects them to marry, including the two of them, and it's pretty freely discussed. It's all pretty nice, although at this rate when Abby, and possibly Sarah, are dating, their elder sisters will not be nice. Er, they'll be mean, but probably nicely. Oh, and besides more or less getting the order of birth down, I found out that Abby is younger than me, which was a shock. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that all her sisters are older than me, and she's a lot like them, so I assumed she was older too? They all explained it to me as the youngest trying to keep up, which does make sense, and is at the same time somewhat related to my version above presented. Anyway, we all had lunch (after they fixed it, in which process guests are not permitted) and then everybody sat and talked for awhile. And then I got scolded for trying to help clear the table, and they drafted Mr. Debenedittis, who had hitherto been sitting and talking. For which I was razzed. Sorry-! But, again, nicely. Gah. This entire family is nice, I don't know if I can handle it. Anyway, Liz took me home about three-fifteen, to my immense regret, but I knew I had to leave sometime.......That actually sounds a lot like the larger situation here, too. Hm.

And then I spent some time on the computer and it occurred to me that I could probably try for a job at, say, sheep! magazine after I graduate, thus combining the interests. Hm.

Then I spent a couple of hours reading One Foot In the Grave, a mystery by Peter Dickinson set in a nursing home. I did this outside, while Lark wandered about as she pleased and I whistled periodically to indicate that, should she be within earshot and so inclined, her return would be perfectly acceptable. Then I went inside, read some more, had something to eat, and went out to look for her. It was rather an adventure, in spite of worrying, because I've never had a real excuse to be out in the dark before. There were too many deer to count, but few enough to categorize: the doe, when it was still light enough to identify her as the sick one (unless there are rather a lot of does in bad shape about), now recovering; the buck, above me on the hill, who observed (and listened to) me calmly until I came too close, at which point he began to move away. I've noticed that even if you can't see the antlers, you can still identify a buck by the way he holds his head, balancing. It was becoming very dark when I surprised rather a herd, making them flee, one by one and then all of them, out of a thick stand of brush, dark blurs bounding through the darkness. I came to the house that overlooks the Heller road, from the balcony of which a large dog barks at us. I came down its driveway to Eagle Rock, still calling every minute or so. I had not been on the road long when Lark came bustling up, wriggling about, for once my pleasure in seeing her equal to hers in seeing me.  Grandma told me she'd dropped by the house, without coming in, then gone to find me. I'd been considering ringing doorbells--it was, after all, only nine o'clock. There was enough light to see wherever I put my feet, but little beyond.

She wanders up to me now, diffidently, wondering if she's exhausted her credit for petting; I hold a hand out, and she comes to stand next to me as I rub her side. I'm getting a headache.

Larked late, but it was pretty cool out, so we survived. It was a quiet walk, much more peaceful than last night's dream, in which, besides various other hikers, we met several deer and some moose. Which Lark tried to chase--with what degree of success I have forgotten. I think my subconscious is having trouble remembering where it is, though-- CO home or NE home, as the numbers are labeled in my cell.

Spent most of the day reading, pretty much until dinner, although some laundry got done. I think. During dinner Isaac called to invite me over, and after dinner I did so. Played with him and Sydney for a bit, then sat through dinner with them. I had some grapes to occupy myself, or I probably would have had a second dinner. -_-; 

After dinner, and some discussion of who would go on Lark's walk, I came home to put my boots on and found a message from Liz Debenedittis to call her. So I did, and gave her directions (which sounded coherent to me--I hope so), and then Syd (senior), Isaac, and I went on a hike with Lark. Isaac was pretty obnoxious, I think because he was still mad about Sydney monopolizing me. I have yet to find a balance between them. Sigh. I need to learn how to do this. I think his other problem, somewhat, is that he wants to have fun with me the way he did the first time we played. Experiences, however, are impossible to replicate, and he's having a hard time trying. And since, as I think he sees it, that first time was me chasing him for being obnoxious, the best way to have it happen again is to be obnoxious. It's not working. Sigh. It is making his friend and his grandma mad at him, which makes him sulky and more obnoxious. Sigh. In the end it was very nearly full dark when we got home. We saw a doe and a buck when we were almost to the gate, and had a lovely view of the buck as he leapt the fence. Very nice.

I'm beginning to get into going-home mode. Sigh--I'll miss everyone here.

Golden Retriever, pughuahua?

Finished Three Came Home last night. Oops. Hadn't meant to do that. Oh well.....

Spent some time petting the cat, whose people should be returning today. Maybe I should call Brook and ask when.... 

Larked in good time, with the air still nice and cool. Met an elderly lady and her elderly Golden at the gate--Lark growled at him for coming too close to me.....this really is not good. Oh, and we saw a weasel; which is to say, Lark saw it and jumped, and then a couple seconds later I saw it about fifteen feet up a tree. Heh. It was a sort of reddish brown, with a pale grey underside. Yay new wildlife! Anyway, he looked pretty much like the top picture on this page. Although I have to say I don't think I've ever heard that version of "Pop! goes the weasel" before.....

Ah, and there was some sort of big truck, of the utilities variety, at the Heller Center. We were almost to the trail when he drove out, and I grabbed Lark's collar and got us there while the driver waited. Mm. Met another older lady out on the trail, then didn't see anyone until we got home. And we keep coming home when it's (objectively) still cool out, so no swamp cooler....

Quiet afternoon. Found an Ogden Nash collection and Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers, printed in 1879 but all the young ladies in the illustrations are wearing Regency styles. Also it vindicates my side of the argument about flower languages: Mom says authors just make it all up as they go, with which I disagree. And here's this. Muahaha.

Philip got in as I was getting the mail while hoping the rice would dry out a bit. Last night's was some of the worst fried rice I have ever produced. Sigh. We ate it, though. With watermelon afterwards. I was about to take Lark out afterwards when Syd got home and came over, with a couple of granddaughters in tow--I assume they'd come with their mother to get Syd and Ralph from the airport. Lark, who was already excited about going for a walk, absolutely exploded. It was like when you blow up a balloon and then let it loose to zip around. Lol. Oh, and I got paid.....too much, but I'm not going to complain.

After that we larked. Philip had a movie scheduled close to eight, but we had plenty of time--I think it was about seven when we got home. In the meantime, it began to rain lightly shortly after we got out. We met a couple people--more than on a hot day--a woman with a dog, which looked very much like a cross between a pug and a chihuahua. Lark was a bit aggressive--he yelped, I grabbed her, they departed, I gave her a talking-to. For all the difference it's likely to make. Geh. Later there was a young guy out jogging, too--pretty cute, in a bland kind of way. It rained the entire time we were out.

We got home and Philip told me I ad to be ready to go in fifteen minutes. We were going to see Moon, which was only showing downtown and therefore required time to get there. Philip, please note, got into the shower only after I got home, and could reasonably be expected to use the bathroom. I ended up getting dressed in the studio, as soon as he was firmly in the shower.

Moon is suspense and sci-fi, with some mystery and a bit of psychological, I guess. Not my thing on so many levels, but I suppose it was a good movie. Pretty open-ended, but at the same time it doesn't feel like the answers to those questions would really fit. He goes back to Earth, and that's it? Well, no, but that's a story for another day--maybe. For our imaginations, maybe.

We got home about ten, and Philip promptly hooked the laptop up to the TV for another episode of Castle. I think the plot was a bit better in this one; in the last one, with our mystery writer tagging along with the cop the entire point of the plot was that it be something a mystery writer could predict, and therefore, it follows, a reader too. At least if you've read as many of the greats as I have, the writers who created these plots and cliches. Anyway, episode 2 was a bit less predictable, and our novelist shines slightly less in the revelation of plot points; this one took him by surprise, too. We are, however, discovering more about our lovely cop, although I object rather to having it laid out clearly for more obtuse viewers on Castle's laptop, as it is likewise revealed about the character in his new series, the ostensible reason for his tagging along behind Beckett on her cases. Besides the Mayor's being a fan, anyway--the man has fans everywhere, and uses them to a disgusting but expediting degree.

Incline tomorrow--so not prepared in any way, shape, or form.....

Big brown mix with black shading again

Up a bit late. The cat was glad to see me. Had to spray some ants--Syd left the can out, with the request to use it if necessary. There were more this afternoon, this time focussing on the food dish rather than the counter. Sprayed those too. Syd's coming home tomorrow--and everything's still alive....(To "everything's" Spellcheck says: "Are you sure about that?" Yes, thank you.)

An uneventful morning walk. It was sunny out, although not, technically, hot, and nobody else was out. Phooey. I'd been hoping for the lady and the Golden, at least. I like 'em. Lark disapproves of Jackson, though. "Get away from her!" she says when I pet him. Sigh. I'm not sure whether to call this an advance in our relationship or not, but either way I disapprove. Gonna have to figure out what to do about it--she can't just tell me not to pet other dogs; I mean, she talks to other people.....I'm sorry, dear, petting is not an exclusive part of a relationship any more than conversation. Live with it.

Ended up not getting on the comp 'til after three, with one thing and another. I regretted the delay once I got on--Doug had been on all morning, talking into thin air. Oops. He seems to be into Russian Novelists at the moment: having cut a swathe through Solzhenitsyn, he's now reading Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. None of these names are acknowledged as legit by Spellcheck--so helpful....

Clouded up by dinnertime, with rain threatening by the time we larked. We met the iPod-bearing jogger with the big brown mix again; he doesn't leash his dog, but always reaches for his collar when he sees us. Last time we ran into him, we were in his blind spot, coming down the creek bed as he came down the main path; he stopped and grabbed for his (obediently heeling) dog as soon as he was aware. I think I disapprove of earbuds while out: there's so much else to pay attention to, and in the end it's rather a liability. Perhaps a sturdy man in good shape, accompanied by a large dog, doesn't need to be quite so alert as a woman whose dog is as petite as she is, but it's always good to be aware of what's going on around you. We also met the Asian/Caucasian couple, who I begin to suspect go on walks for Serious Discussions. That's what it's always sounded like as I approach, although I'm glad to say not too serious. It may just be the natural tendency of his voice to sound like he's talking about something important, though. I don't know. I have every expectation that this will remain the case, nor would I want it otherwise. One family's problems are enough.

Reading Three Came Home. I wasn't at all sure I wanted to read a prison camp book just now, but Keith has a terrific style of her own, amusing and serious in turns, and very sympathetic. I can't find Mom's other recommendation, Christ Stopped at Eboli, but I did find Wuthering Heights. It's on the table for consideration, while I read Three Came Home. I am not at all sure I want to start reading the darker/crazier English classics--Grandma and I were talking about Thomas Hardy at dinner--but I've been thinking about it, and will no doubt continue to do so. A book about three men making sheep's eyes at an ice queen fails to attract me, large supporting cast of actual sheep notwithstanding.

15 pushups, form improving; 16 situps, having realized how pointless it is to continue after my abs have quit and left all the work to back and (somehow) shoulders; 5 standing elbow-to-knees; 3......a bit like an arabesque but I'm holding the outstretched leg at the ankle. All of which are no doubt very good for me, but they don't seem to do much for the Incline-afflicted muscles. Hm.

Four coyotes

Nice and cool and wet this morning. It actually stayed that way all through the walk, too, although the sun came and went. We didn't meet anyone, but I did learn something. Crows really croak. Like frogs. Bullfrogs. Grrroak. I never knew. I would not, however, have minded in the least if the crow, after educating me thus, had either gone somewhere else or shut up. He kept flying, back and forth, overhead until we got out onto the road. Sheesh. He must've thought I really needed the lesson drilled into my head.

Quiet day, really. Reading The Forever King, somebody's sequel to their slightly modified--majorly modified--version of The Once and Future King. Several characters, including Arthur, have reincarnated, and a couple never died. It's not bad, I suppose.

Went over to Syd's to be briefed on the house-sitting. Since it seems the camping trip is a week later than thought, she doesn't need to arrange anything separate for the weekend. Also Phil told her there will be no camping trip, because of Austin's wedding, but I'm still not sure whether he was clear on the actual date at this point. Hope lives eternal....

Larked about seven-thirty. It was really nice out: cool, cloudy, no visible sun. Lots of bugs, though. We were more than halfway along the narrow, twisty second leg of trail when I saw four coyotes: parent leading two pups, with the other parent bringing up the rear. Lark, fortunately, never saw them, but we came under some rather suspicious scrutiny. The adults seemed to feel were best left alone, I'm glad to say. Later on, as we came up the road, a doe bounded across; I'm still not sure if Lark found her or not, because she went off-trail for awhile when we came up to the point she crossed.

15 pushups 20 situps

Golden, dachshund, goldendoodle, golden/german shepherd, short black poodly creature

Sid came over after breakfast to talk to Grandma. She's taking us to the doctor's office this afternoon--somehow I'm going, I'm not sure why. It was nine-forty when Lark and I headed out. It was pretty nice out. It was kinda funny--when I hit the dam, and went onto it to cross, there was a woman with a Golden coming on one side, and a man with a boy and a dachshund going on the other side. We met the three boys just before the big dip in the path, where water runs when there's enough. The man said "hi," the boy--about Isaac's age, I think--told me they had a dog with them too, and he was the short one, and Reggie the dachshund tried to mount Lark. She didn't disembowel him, so I guess she liked him. I said "excuse me," "I see," and "Lark!" in that order. Then we ran for a bit. The other option was to stay with them, and, while interesting, it's a bit more complicated than just leaving them behind. My body took the running rather well, I thought. Anyway, we met the woman with the Golden again in the road, and she told me she'd seen what she thought was a snake, up in the middle of the road, and so had turned back. I thanked her for the warning, and we exchanged a few remarks on snakes in general. She doesn't like 'em. So we kept going, and sure enough, up on the slope before the next patch of shade there was a sort of log shape in the middle of the road. It looked a bit like a dried stalk of mullen, and I thought, "Was that what she was talking about?" Lark promptly trotted up to sniff it, and as promptly bounced back, as the snake hissed and drew its head back. As its tail began to buzz, I called Lark, my voice, after the first shriek, only a little frantic. She looked at me, looked back at the interesting creature making such an odd sound in the middle of the road, looked back at me, and then trotted regretfully over. I leashed her, telling her what a good dog she was, and we made a careful circuit, going off the road a bit, as the dratted snake had a commanding position in the center of the road. I did not unclip the dog until we were inside the house. Lesson no. 1: I do not like poisonous snakes. Lesson no. 2: If Lark is ever bitten, it will be on the nose. Lesson no. 3: Just because you dream your dog is eaten by coyotes does not mean she will be bitten by snakes. Or at least not the very next morning. I noticed even my subconscious couldn't imagine such an eventuality, though.

Sid took Grandma to the doctor's office after lunch. I spent some time on the comp, then crashed. Grandma woke me at about four-fifteen to get ready to go to the ball game. I was ready to go, having walked the dog, eaten, and changed, by five, the estimated time of departure. Ralph came this time--he's allowed to drive, now. I hadn't known, though if I'd thought about it I suppose I would've. Anyway, it was a decent game, I guess. The Dodgers creamed us. It was the same place as last time, so there were a lot of dogs again, starting with two beagle puppies in the parking lot--terribly adorable, they were. Then there were a Goldendoodle, which I visited, and a boxer, which I did not, in the audience. Oh, and those two beautiful Danes went past again. After that was a huge brindle mastiff--it was a perfect setup for Sid's joke, actually, where you go up to the guy in the park with the dog and go "Oooh, handsome," or something like that, and when he's accepting this as a compliment of his dog, you go, "The dog's not bad either." I, of course, am not about to get up the nerve to do this in a million years (Sid says she can't remember if she did this when she was younger or not), much less to run up to a shirtless guy in the park and say it. Fun to think about, though. Hm, what else? Oh, yeah, there was a man walking a pair that may have been an Aussie and a rat terrier. Not sure, though. Aussie mix, maybe--it had a conspicuous tail, for one.....

We larked again after I got home, about eight. We met the couple with the leashed barkers almost first thing, coming up the Nevada road; they reeled their dogs in and kindly waited for us to get to our turn. I got in a breed query, and got an answer on the brown one, at least: golden/German shepherd. Wow. Never would have thought it. Right color, though, I guess. It was actually a really nice walk, after my knee stopped hurting; a certain prancing someone whanged it with a stick before we even made the gate. For symmetry, I guess. The other one's flashier, with the scabbed scrape, but it was hurting at walks for days after I knocked it going after her on a runaway night. Feh. My left stopped hurting after awhile, though, so I could enjoy the walk and wonder whether we'd make it back before full dark. We did, but the sun was no more than a pale orange glow behind the mountains, fading through pink to blue. A buck was standing at the fence between Heller land and the driveway parallel to the road; I think we'd interrupted his feeding, though when I caught his eye he was simply standing, watching us. Lark, of course, noticed nothing, though he stood there until I could no longer see him.

Fifteen pushups, twenty situps. I could probably up the number of pushups now, but I don't have the energy.

Golden retriever, beagle, black lab, dachshund, chihuahua pug, two Great Danes

Lark and I took a short walk at nine-fifteen, when it was still nice and cool. The lawnmower guy saw us and waved. On the way back we met a dog who was probably the result of an affair between a golden retriever and a bear. I mean, he moved like a bear, he was really big and really furry. The impression was of a golden bear. He was really nice, though, and friendly, although I regret to say he was also one of those dogs that just straight up shoves his nose up between your legs. I'm not sure the owners can tell I notice, though. Anyway, Lark liked him too; I think she was going to elope with him, but she came back in the end.

As soon as I got home I changed for town. We had to go with Grandma to choose frames and decide how she wanted her lenses. They had some really nice frames, but I'm inclined to think the ones I have suit me best after all. After that we went to the bank, and we're going to the library after Grandma has her nap.

Grandma decided she didn't want to go, so it was just Mom and me. We went to East first, and I got Memory and Cotillion to reread. They didn't have the last Bujold, but Rockrimmon branch did, so we went there. :D Horizon, I think this one is.

I was reading Horizon when Sid called to say that Sidney was over, and did I want to come play? Sure. So I came over and played from four-thirty to five-thirty, and then went home for dinner and to ask if I could go to Isaac's ballgame. I could. So I went back over at six-thirty, and Sid and Sidney and I went to watch the game. The players were pretty good. I was impressed by the adults' catching skills. Lots of people brought dogs, too. There was a beagle, which I would have talked to but it was about to throw up on someone's sandaled feet; an aging lab, who was delighted to have his ribs scratched; a dachshund, who figured out that I would rub her tummy and keep the little boy at the other end from pulling her lead (dragon versus tiger, anyone?); a black pug, whom I never went to pet; and two black Danes being walked past on the footpath. Sigh. They found a chihuahua willing to play, though. It was kinda hilarious. Oh, and someone in the stands had a chihuahua. Pink accessories. I fell into conversation with a little girl petting Ginger the dachshund with me. I think she had something to say about chihuahuas. It may come as no surprise that I have no idea who won. I do know that Isaac got the MVP ball until the next game. He's a pretty good catcher. Sid took me to play in the park in the last inning, having been lobbying for it since before the game started. She had to show off her "big kid" friend to her other friends, you see. Ashley wasn't too interested, but I think she softened up after I was allowed to actually say hi. Anyway, after the game ended she and Isaac had me play Lava Monster with them. It was Isaac's idea, because it involves him taunting me from a strong position while I try to get him. I'm not allowed to come up on the playset to tag them, and it's not hard to stay out of reach. I ended up enlisting Sidney's help, but keeping her on my shoulders was harder than climbing up on the outside, and either way Isaac's faster. We did end up tagging him (mostly ignoring the little girl he got to join in, who I'm not sure actually understood our fast English), but then it got harder, because he wanted me to stay on the ground and help him, while Sidney wanted to stay with me. I was saved by the bell, in the end. Sid and Brooke came to say it was time to go. It was dark and raining when I got home, after a fun couple of hours.

German Shepherd

Hm. Familiar setting, not sure about events. I just wish the people who graze the sheep would either not use electric fence, or develop a flippin' gate. My poor character has had a long not-just-a-day, and he just wants to lie down somewhere he can watch the sheep, and first he has to negotiate this death trap involving electric wires and panels. Did you know my body remembers those fences well enough to give me an identifiable shock in a dream? It was almost a relief when we went back to yetis in the shed and Gollum skittering away across the barn roof. Gollum was a lot more identifiable as such than the yeti, was, though--someone had to tell me what it was.

Lot to do this morning, so I'll get off now. Lee is here for Grandma; she told us that she can't discuss Grandma's medical care without Grandma's presence. Hippocratic Oath and Federal law. Feh. Have fun, Mom. We called while she was here, to, so Grandma could sit in, but Mom had gone to town. I think it was Peter who picked up; he sounded remarkably dead.

Went over to Sid's for directions on cat-sitting. She sent the milk-jug home with me, to be returned after we go shopping. Nice.

We larked a little before ten. It was over half-way through the walk when I realized it was humid. Hm. We didn't meet anyone, anyway. There were rabbit bits scattered around  under a pine: I looked up, and there were a few more bits of fur on the branch. Good hunting, Owl? 

Karen was here when we got back, doing the INR. I asked what microcoagulation was. Just what it says, apparently: tiny clotting. Oh well. Karen knows enough to explain terms, but not enough to explain how it works.

Discussed with Grandma the possibility of extending my stay through August. She says she likes the company but can do without me. Well, yes, but should she? And can I handle the extension? ......Probably.

Father Paul brought his wife; she's nice. I sat in on the chat (Nancy says I might try vet tech--interesting thought) until Father Paul asked if I wanted to take Communion with them. I explained that I wasn't communicant and retreated. Scary man..... well, sort of. At this rate, though, I predict at least one awkward moment per visit. Drat him.

Finished rereading Beauvallet. Note: ask Phil about Public Enemies, Moon, Walking with Dinosaurs (theatrical show--Denver) and a Colorado sightseeing roadtrip, recommended by the Rector and his wife.

Phil came in about four-thirty, while I was virtuously occupied with Mistress to an Age. I promptly abandoned it.

After dinner I ran across to Sid's, through a brightly dripping world, to give Maddie her teaspoon of cat food. She didn't show much interest in it, but concentrated on me. I didn't give her enough time to get actually friendly, though: I had a date with Phil.

Ben was hosting College Night for church. There weren't too many people there, but it was pretty lively. There was Ben, of course, and Tom, Keith, Sarah and Rachel DeBenedittis, Marcy, Josh and Elise Mann, and the Matt who's dating a DeBenedittis. I'm not sure which; there are two more, Abby and Liz. I checked my last bulletin for their spelling, but some lazy person abbreviated it to D. and I threw out my old bulletins a week ago. They help out a lot, with the nursery and stuff. I think he's dating Abby. Anyway, they're all pretty fun. I'm not too sure I want to spend much time with Josh, though: he is dangerous. The man is an expert at instant recognition and effective utilization of an opening. I don't know why Keith lives with the guy, because he, of course, is the main victim--although I have to admit, he doesn't make it very hard. Josh isn't the only person who can spot openings, either. Oh, well. Anyway, those two are going to Geneva College in Pennsylvania, and I think Rachel is too. Elise will be going to college, and Tom may have been there a decade or two ago. I think Ben's in college, I know Sarah isn't, and Marcy's a nurse. A Gainfully Employed Adult, in fact. They're pretty fun all together, anyway. Although any DeBenedittis is fun. They're nice. So, yeah. Period of general conversation accompanied by pop while Ben tries to order pizza on his laptop, period of everybody else eating while I wish I hadn't had dinner (not that it stopped Philip, of course), period of conversation while the eating slows down, period of prayer around the table (give the person on one side of you a prayer request and pray for the person on your other side--I had to ask Rachel for her name when it was my turn), then they got a game out. Apples to Apples is this game where everybody gets seven red cards with nouns and definitions on them. There's a deck of red cards and a deck of green cards, which have adjectives and synonyms on them. Someone draws a green card from that deck, reads it aloud, and everyone chooses a card from their hand that they think is best described by that adjective. The person who drew the green card picks the best card, and the person it belonged to gets the green card. Everybody draws a new red card from the deck to keep their numbers up, and the next person draws a green card. The first person to have, in this case, four cards (it's determined by the number of players) wins. It got pretty silly by the time Elise won. I had two greens, "graceful" and "funky", both won off Philip. Everybody made remarks about siblings--although, in my defense, he didn't know the cards were mine and I didn't lobby for them. I guess we just think alike. Incidentally, I got "graceful" with "violins" and "funky" with "John Philip Sousa." The game ended pretty late, and it was eleven when we got home. Philip, mind you, had said we'd probably be home by nine. No, really. He said that.

Fifteen pushups, fifteen situps, in sets of five, before showering.

The title is from the dog in the house we parked in front of. Good, deep voice--German Shepherd, on the other side of the screen door.

Wildflowers

Followed Lark to Sid's this morning, and ended up talking for quite a while. One result was a late walk. Too hot! The main point of interest was, again, at the gate: a nice young man was driving a tractor in. Strange. Lark didn't want to pull over, drat her.

Finished Girl Fight. I look forward to more of this.

Seven pushups just before lunch. Almost immediately after lunch Grandma went down for her nap, and I went over to Sid's for our shopping trip. So, for starters, we went to the military surplus store down by Old Colorado City to look at clothes. I ended up not getting any pants, but there were some t-shirts I got. There was a Goodwill near there, so we went there next, and I found several shirts, a skirt, and a very nice dress there. Sid got a charming little music box, a delightful confection in pink and white with three horses. It's in perfect condition, and plays the first couple of bars of "The Sound of Music" over and over.

It was raining when we got home. I showed off my purchases to Grandma, and then I went to sleep. Philip woke me up.

Grandma and I had bisonburgers for dinner while Philip napped, and after dinner I brushed the dog. We larked out at about seven-thirty, and somewhat curtailed the loop in order to get back before dark, coming back along the first leg, which is either shorter or just easier. We met a lady jogger, but no one else. The late wildflowers are blooming: the yellow clover; an odd plant called the prickly poppy, with a stalk like a thistle and a bloom like a white poppy; a purple flower that resembles a vetch blossom on steroids, but with radial compound leaves; the ground cacti, the bane of Lark's poor paws, with adorable yellow cups with dark red or aloe-green centers. Some have buds of dark pink, which will be opening in the next couple of days.

Finished Out of Africa.

Husky/Sheltie

Last night was a debacle. Philip was watching Minority Report in the studio, and I didn't want to. So I took The Blue Hawk down to the sitting room, and when I finished it I went and got Strata, because the movie wasn't over. Strata didn't keep me awake very well, though, so I went to sleep. Philip kicked me off the couch at ten-thirty, and I moved to my bed. I woke up to shower at one-thirty, and the fabric creases were deeply imprinted on my skin.

This morning I was light-headed with lack of sleep. Grandma very firmly kicked me outside at nine, though, and we went for our walk. I was alive by the time we reached the Heller road, where I had a short conversation about lawns and mowers with a guy from the green house, who apparently was lending the riding mower to the neighbor, who only had a push. Or so I gathered. He had an odd, unidentifiable accent, and while I'm pretty sure he's not the one who told me about the cat I have no idea what his age was. He was maybe kinda youngish.....I think....although he talked to me pretty readily, which is more typical of older groups......never mind. I just wonder if he was the one practicing the drums in the garage last night.

About half-way through the first leg we met a lady and her dog, who was a little shorter than Lark but at least as heavy, if only with fur.  She was a husky-Sheltie cross, one eye dark, the other blue. I spotted the Sheltie at once; she bore a certain resemblance to Radar, with a similar outer coat. I never would have figured out the husky. We chatted a bit, and the wet little dog let me pet her. I got away with it because Lark was off staring up at a squirrel or something. That pair got around--the next person I met, an older guy at an outcropping shortly after we spooked a deer (I saw it because I could hear the impact of its feet--Lark never noticed) had seen them at the pond. He had been watching another deer, which bolted up the hillside when we came. We had a nice chat; his conversational style favored Old Nebraska Farmer, which was rather a whiff of home, even though he talked about deer and bears rather than hay prices. The weather was still there, though.

We stopped by the dig on the way back, when Lark was worn out. A campus cop pulled up as we came in; he told me someone had called to say they couldn't get the gate open--but it was open and everyone was there when he came. No one knew who'd called, either. Nobody worried about it much. I said hi to Michaela, who asked after Grandma. There was a new girl, too, Megan. The professora introduced her to Michaela. Megan shook hands with her, and then held out her hand to me. I shook, introducing myself and explaining that I wasn't on the dig. Michaela added that I was their daily visitor. "Yeah. It's my dose of external human contact." "Very important," someone said. 

Cleaned the bathroom. Grandma approved it.  ^_^ Had some comp time, and then they made me do math about three. Next is reading: SAT handbook and Out of Africa.

Philip left before I finished algebra. Acquainted myself with the handbook independently, therefore. I'm not surprised it's three inches thick, the way they squander space in there. About three-thirty Grandma, who had expressed a desire to go outside with me when I brushed the dog, came and said how about you brush the dog now? So we went outside, and Lark and I alternated grooming and wrestling under the crabapple while Grandma walked up and down the patio.

Rereading From Far Away. I think next I'll read Chizumi and Fujiomi. I do love Hikawa-sensei--she's just so sweet, and somehow the romance has such a serene tone. I've never expressed this to my own satisfaction.

Took Lark for a shot run amid gathering clouds at eight. Went a little way into the loop, until the trail goes into the scrub, and then turned back. Met a jogger at the gates--I hope she isn't getting soaked, besides ruining her motivational electronics. New iPods are expensive. ;p Lark took us to Sid's on the way home, where Ralph was out on the porch with the phone and Sid was watching TV. I talked to Sid for a little, then called Grandma to tell her where I was. When I told her it was beginning to rain she said to come right home, so we did.

Having a float with my manga now. Grandma's in bed. G'night.

You know, reading the bit in the last volume, where the people of Ennamarna are trying to protect Noriko, I'm thinking......I read too many cynical stories. Bujold, I'm talking about you....

Yellow lab

Well, I let the Lark out at about eight. She comes home at nine-fifteen. Know what a curfew is, sweetie? Well, they can work in the morning, too.

So, yeah, Cheryl was here, Sid's got granddaughters over, next Mom and Grandma are going to the doctor's.

Well, much of the morning was spent being called from the computer to do chores, including word problems. They went well--it's so nice to have a coach. Mom likes the "Pocky with math" idea.

The phone rang during lunch. It was Riley, one of Sid's grandpuppies, to ask if I could come eat lunch with them. "Sure!" When I got there, Sid told me they'd been asking her to call me all morning. Well. So we had lunch, yogurt and fruit and little rolls of ham, and then Sid took Kylie down for a nap, leaving me to take care of Riley and Sidney. We did okay, playing with some toy horses and dolls, then doing a song and dance show, with me as audience. Lark was pretty nervous, but much better than the first evening. I mean, she never looked as though she were considering a snap. She wasn't much help when they had me laid out on the couch, performing surgery with various power tools, though--in fact, she was sitting on my stomach for much of that period, giving her the best opportunity to lick my face when I was laughing/screaming when it tickled. Help. A toy saw to the bottoms of the feet or lower frontal ribcage is a dangerous tool. They eventually finished up with turning me into a robot and then back again, and then Sidney decided to fix my hair for me. I have to say, the process gave me a new respect for B, although she did ask for it. Also there's less a little girl can do to short hair.......My salvation was my hair tie, which Sidney eventually declared unmanageable and returned to me. I put my hair back in its ponytail and we went to find Sid. She gave me a wipe for my glasses, which by this time were hopeless, and the little girls occupied themselves with the hose and some water balloons. I beat a retreat. No Philip in sight--two-forty-five.

Still on five reps, push-and-sit-ups. The pushups are getting harder, and my abs complain vociferously when I make a wrong move.

Phil came....when, four? Maybe. Mom and Grandma got in shortly after, and we sat around eating Boonzaijer goodies until Sid called to tell me remember that pie? Come get some, so I headed over there. The granddaughters were loaded into a mom's van, but Sid had half a blueberry cheesecake for me. Yummy......

It was almost five-thirty when Lark and I went out. It was still pretty hot, too. She kept careful track of me, possibly also scared by this morning's escapade, which is reassuring. On the first leg I was coming up on a curve when Lark, already at the bend, stopped. Her tail wagged a couple times, the hello-I-don't-know-you-are-you-nice? wag, and she checked to see that I was coming. Give me another month or so and I'll tell you whether it's males or females just from her behavior. In this case it was a couple of young guys in shorts. One was wearing an undershirt. The other.....wasn't. The first one was appropriately willing to pet a little dog circling his legs, and as I came by he said, "Nice dog." "Thank you," I said. Just after that is the dike for the pond, where a yellow lab was getting her water fix. I think one of her hocks was rather swollen, and it showed in her gait. She ignored Lark. We went on, and were both pretty hot and tired by the time we reached the base. I'm reading Cetaganda now, and wondering whether to continue with Ii Hito, now that his girlfriend is beginning to find out about all the women in Tokyo who like him......

Note: try to get Phil to take me to B&N this weekend. Also try for Renaissance Fair at some point.

The boys called this evening. Hm....

Golden retriever

Well, after I'd gone to sleep with a headache at about ten-thirty, in the middle of No Wind of Blame, and woke up to shower at about four a.m., Mom let me go back to bed with my cold after I made coffee. I got up about nine, in the end, and Diane came about nine-thirty. Fedex came at nine-forty-five; Mom signed for the package, since I'm not going to open the door to someone I don't know in my bathrobe. After dressing, I read No Wind of Blame until Mom kicked me outside to dig thistles before lunch. I got eight, and finished my book before lunch. The ending was rather unexpected, for while I figured out who the murderer was before Inspector Hemingway did, it took me a good two-thirds of the book to even suspect how the couples would come out. While the subordinate pairing was relatively typical, at least at first glance, the heroine was most unusual.

After lunch I went on to reread Arabella, discovering in the process that the first six pages are missing. Well, there are advantages to reading something multiple times; but I think if I ever do order Devil's Cub, I'll get another copy of Arabella while I'm at it. I could put up with the missing pages, but besides that the spine is in a sad condition, and in general the book is rather battered.

Our walk was more taxing than I anticipated. It began with a slight limp for Lark, which intensified as we approached the Heller dig. I asked to borrow the tweezers again, and the professora made me free of the medkit. Everybody was kinda busy, although I did have a little company initially. By the time I had extracted several spines, including a deeply embedded one that may even have justified the limp, everyone was gone. This was, to a certain extent, explained by the large group of well-dressed older people listening to the professora near the cars as we were heading out. Lark limped all the way around the loop. We met a few people: an older couple, including an enthusiastic lady who said that Lark was so sweet, was she rescued? well since she's so sweet, I thought she had been--obscure logic, but I appreciated the sentiment; an older gentleman with a polite golden retriever, who sedately exchanged courtesies with Lark, and followed his master when I told him to "go on;" and a girl with a bike, coming from the direction of the pond, and seen struggling up the road from Nevada when we were almost home. By that time Lark and I were both pretty tired, from the combination of the heat and her limp. You may well ask how the limp tired me, but as I took her up and carried her for several short periods, it really does follow.

We made it home alive, however, about three-thirty or so. I sat down to do some writing, and then Owen called. Mom talked to him for a bit, and then handed him over to me. He was in a somewhat petulant mood, trying to convince me of all I'm missing by staying here. I reacted unsatisfactorily, I'm afraid, which somewhat supported his claim that they'd be perfectly happy as long as Mom brought Lark home with her. I pointed out that while they wouldn't be able to give her as much exercise as she now requires, I would be in serious trouble physically if I weren't exercising her. It didn't seem to make much difference. All in all, I was rather obnoxiously cheery, which is always fun to pull when Owen's being difficult, but he got some small revenge when I said I had to go to the store with Mom. "Reeeeeeally." I hung up.

So then Mom and I went shopping. I stocked up a bit on Pocky, since I have to send a couple of boxes home to the boys, so that now they know what they're missing there. She seems to have some dinner plans, which is nice, although I'm not sure what she's planned after the salad nicoise. I read Arabella in the car, aloud on the way home.

Hm, Doug's asking me about getting a copy of Windows XP out of Philip again. Although it was Peter last time. I did tell Phil, but....I can't guarantee any results.....so good luck, guys.

Wheeeee, cake! Mom bought an angelfood cake, and she dolled it up for dessert tonight! The icing base was whipped cream, spread on the outside and between the layers. The she drizzled chocolate on the top and down the sides, and topped it with raspberries. It was beautiful, and absolutely delicious. Grandma suggested, afterwards, I take some next door. Ralph met me, and as close as he can get to Gollum without a conscious imitation, he went. It was hilarious. He says he'll take a picture and then put it in the fridge, so Sid knows he hasn't tampered with it. I was laughing all the way home, until Lark met me with a ball. Then I switched into Huntress Mode to play.

Having finished Arabella, I'm now reading Shards of Honor, delighted to have a copy of my own.

Two Goldendoodles and a retriever; birthday stuff

Mom got me up about half an hour early. =_=;;; She was rather tsking to find I hadn't trained Lark to get the paper yet--I'd completely forgotten about that plan. Lee came about nine to work with Grandma, and I read No Bad Dogs a bit after getting dressed to go. I was printing out a B&N coupon when B called to say happy birthday! It was nice to hear from her.

Once Phil got back with the car, Mom and I went shopping. We started at the Book Rack, where I got a nice horse photo book, Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem, a Peter Dickinson, a Caroline Stevermer, and Berserk vol. 1. Next on the list was Heroes and Dragons, which seems to have shut down. So from there we went to Hooked on Books, which was great. There I found four Heyers, including the mystery I'd never read; two Bujolds, Shards of Honor and Barrayar; and a nice copy of Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs. Philip was nagging us to come home by then, so we went back, picked him up, and went out to lunch.

Lunch was Mobo Sushi. It was absolutely wonderful. The decor was all Japanese in tone, with screens between tables and china geishas dancing on the ledge behind the tables. The staff, from the waitresses to the two chefs behind the counter, all wore red and black tunics, like very short yukata in general design. The food was delicious. Mom had the spicy chicken bento, with tempura veggies and California rolls. Philip had the Sushi Deluxe, which was much like mine but bigger. I had the Nigiri set, which was various fish on rice balls with California rolls. It was really good, with the best pieces being the crab, the eel, and the California rolls. On the side they gave us wasabi and ginger to taste--the colors puzzled Mom, because the ginger was red.  Philip and I both had leftovers, which went home to Grandma.

After we got home, afraid to move in case we overflowed, Philip and I watched Mission: Impossible. It was pretty good--especially nice, again, to see the original of all the parodies. I did somewhat object to the way they went for drama--if there was the least possibility for suspense, for danger, for drama, they used it. 

We finished the movie about four, and once Philip headed out for Golden Lark and I took our walk. Not before time; she was bringing me balls all through the movie, poor thing. We met a few people: a woman with a Golden named Tiber, both rather uninterested; a young man on a bike, who hmph'ed as he passed us; and a man with two Goldendoodles, all rather familiar. I don't think he recognized us, though--if he had, he'd have known that I was aware his dog jumps. Remember the nose to the stomach at high velocity? Yeah. This time I got his collar before he got me, though.

I got home to hear that Sid had called. I called her back, and she said she had something for me, and did I want to come over or should she come here? I would be happy to go over. She was making dinner, but on the bar lay an envelope and a box. I opened the envelope first. Sid had made for me, out of pictures she'd taken of me and Isaac, a birthday card. It was great. On the cover she'd put various pictures of me, looking like a wild woman, wrestling Isaac on the couch the other night. Various fighting sound effects accompanied these. On the inside, opposite the birthday message, was a picture of me, standing very firm, looking after Isaac, whose posture was rather less.....sturdy. Written underneath was the caption, "And next time, don't send a boy to do a man's job!" Uuuuuh.....thanks. It cracked everybody up, though--me, then Grandma and Mom. I'm not sure Philip's going to see it, though.

Dinner was an omelet with fruit salad. Rather a perfunctory affair, but just as well, I suppose. I ready for bed now--tired, sore throat, etc. It's not even eight, though. Pity I don't have any activities I can do with my eyes closed. No comp, no book, no read. Dear me.

Golden and a....Yorkie?

Well, Isaac called pretty early to ask if I could come play. I told him I had to go get groceries with Philip, but I'd come over when we got back. Grandma tells me he called again while we were gone, but when I got back he and Sid were on a bike ride. He came over as soon as they got home, and Lark and I headed over.

There wasn't a lot to do. We played checkers; in the end one of my three kings had cornered his last remaining king and he surrendered. I was rather relieved--in the beginning I had had to sacrifice several pieces just to keep the game going. After that we ended up watching cartoons again. Sigh. Then Sid got up from her nap, and Isaac and I went for a hike.

He wanted to take the way we went last time, but this time he was ready to turn back by the time we were at the dike, so we looped back there. We spent several minutes at the culvert there, as Isaac tortured snails and I got a drink. My backpack and Lark's water were laid out on the ground, and I was at the culvert with Isaac, when I heard Lark begins to growl. I looked around, and there was a Golden coming around to bend in the trail. The only reason Lark had to growl was my stuff, laid out with only her protection. She stopped when I came to her, as the Golden's owners followed him with, on a leash, what may have been a Yorkie. Maybe a cross between a Yorkie and a cat. Or a Yorkie with a short haircut, I suppose....

Isaac was consistently obnoxious all the way home, eventually deciding that the best way to get me out of my mature, boring attitude would be to steal my glasses. It worked. KILLCRUSHDESTROY.......ahem. So we went home, and once Mom got in we had dinner. Lark was delighted to see her, dancing in and out of the garage, whirling like an ex-ballerina dervish. The chicken salad was ready and the table was set by then, and we had Boonzaijer's desserts.

I went over to Sid's for the movie at seven-twenty-five. Isaac was just finishing up eating, and we got started pretty quickly. It started out pretty slowly, with Sid pausing to explain backstory as the characters laid it out in dialogue, in the best established manner. But then Jiao Long stole Li Mu Bai's sword, and it got going all right. The fights weren't bad, although I think they could have done a much better job of disguising the ropes for jumps and things. You can't actually see them, credit them with more skill than that, but the quality of the movements betray them. It's a pretty good movie, but I did not like the ending. If there are two couples, than I expect both of them to get a happy ending. Grr. 

Isaac and I enjoyed the movie, but Sid preferred the show afterwards. I grabbed Isaac as he was heading for bed, and it escalated from there. Sid took lots of pictures, consisting largely of me adjusting my hold to immobilize both his arms and his head, so that he can neither lick me nor lick his hands and then touch me. Blech. It was almost ten when he walked me home. The grass was wet with rain, and when Lark came back from walking him home she had to be toweled all over.

Coyote

0.o This one was a winner. It started out with me and Lark walking to Lincoln, although I think perhaps I had a scooter or something. It ended up with me as Rayne, fighting some relations who'd stolen a family business or something. I'm not sure why he ended up shopping for snow traversal equipment, though. For one thing, I don't think there was any snow on the ground. I wonder if my subconscious is telling me the only adventures I can have are vicarious?

Well, Karen came sometime after ten-thirty to take an INR that seems to have disturbed her. She's going to try to come back later today, if she manages. We'll see. Diane came after that, and we all talked about pets during lunch. Lark took enthusiastic part in the discussion. I was petting her with my right hand and had to use my spoon with my left.

We engaged in a spot of reconnaissance for our walk today. The original plan had been to do this down at the far end of Rockhurst, where there would appear to be something in the nature of a store. However, we set out at about two-thirty, Grandma wanted us back by four, and it was three o'clock when we hit the road where we usually come off it. At this point I should explain our route. I was trying to save time, so we went along the driveway that runs behind the house, taking the opportunity to find the best way to get off it and strike across towards the dorms. Having ascertained the lay of the land in this area, we then proceeded to further acquaint ourselves with the slope we're in the habit of descending. Ground looks very different going up from its appearance going down. In the end, we hit an open spot some distance above our objective, and at this point simply went down a little way to the road. Then, still according to the original plan, we headed up the road, until I looked at my watch and decided we didn't have enough time. There was no way we could go up to Rockhurst, down it a mile or so, back up, and then down the gravel road to Grandma's, because after that there was no way I would be able to mind my feet going down the secret passage. So I decided this would be an opportune moment to follow the last two stretches of the gravel road, which I'd always skipped and which bothered me rather, nagging at me as unexplored ways tend to do these days. So we went that way. It's a winding road, with large expanses of trees and scrub between the stretches. In theory I was aware that there were coyotes living in there. I was still surprised when we encountered one by the side of the road, on the last stretch, within a shout of the dorms. I saw it when I turned to look back at a movement, and then Lark spotted it. She charged over. I said, very firmly, "No. Come on. Leave it," and began to walk away. She followed, somewhat to my relieved surprise, but then the coyote came out into the road, looking to me as though it would come after us. I turned and advanced on it a little, shouting at it to leave my dog alone. It thought better of coming and sheered off into the brush on the other side of the road. Lark, idiot, followed, but she came when I called her back, and we began to walk toward the dorms. I kept a wary eye out for the coyote, and tracked his cautious stalk of us long after Lark had apparently forgotten all about it. He was out of sight when we reached the gate, having apparently stayed at one post where there was a screen of brush once we were at a certain distance.

I could still see the coyote when I started hearing the sound of a basketball from the little paved area with a hoop behind the dorm. Lark headed for the boy with a ball as soon as she ducked under the gate, and I followed her, more slowly and a little uncertainly. He proved to be willing to put up with a little dog after his ball, and we stayed there for a while, exchanging occasional comments while he and Lark played, until he had to go.He was nice--diffident, and I think also uncertain. 

Jinn came over to chat, bringing some experimental soup to try on us. Apparently she had obtained (after several attempts met by a closed gift shop) the soup cookbook sold by a monastery called, if I recall correctly, Christ in the Desert. *googles* ......Well, I suppose it could be the one in New Mexico.....Anyway. Someone managed to buy the cookbook for her, and she is now happily trying out recipes, and brought the fruits of one such endeavor to us, as test audience. So we're going to have that for dinner.

After Jinn left Sid called to tell me she had some extra cole slaw, and would we be interested? We would indeed. I wish these people would quit worrying about whether I'll like something, though. I'll eat it, okay? Don't worry about it. So Lark and I went over to Sid's, with direction from the home base to come right back. Lark hung back to dally a bit with the cat, and a fascinating burrow under a tree, but I did, assisted somewhat by the presence of Ralph's brother John. There's a certain family resemblance, a similar head shape, but they don't cultivate it at all. Where Ralph has the remaining hair on the sides of his head buzz cut, John has a thick sheet of silver hair combed straight over his head. He doesn't wear glasses, and his expression is cooler than Ralph's. He doesn't smile as much or as warmly. To top it off, I'm pretty sure this is the brother Ralph mentioned as not liking Mitch, which strongly reinforces my impression. He was polite, I suppose, if cool, and thought he might have met me before. Ralph said he was thinking of Philip. I'm inclined to agree.

But speaking of Sid, she's been planning on renting Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to watch with Isaac. She got it, and they plan to watch it on Saturday night. I'm invited, acceptance pending approval by my chain of command. The top said "probably," so now it only remains to be seen if Philip has anything better to do. It seems unlikely--his plans tend to be for Friday nights, so Saturday should be free. I hope so. I'd like to watch a movie with Isaac; I might get a retort out of it, for when Philip complains about people who talk during movies. Besides that, I'd like to see this movie, and possibly Isaac's relations along with. I don't know who else will be there, but it seems probable that Sid's going to have another gathering on.

Well, I think I'll go watch Batman Begins now.

Lights out at eleven. Lay half-awake for a couple of hours, and woke up a lot. I've been dreaming about the people at home more lately--Dad and B, for instance. I think my subconscious is pointing out how nice it is here and suggesting we should stay. For one thing, Baron nearly went for my throat, and I never did get up the courage to look 'round the corner and see why he was so desperate not to go in the kitchen. Do these rank as nightmares?

Spent an hour doing math this morning. To my mild surprise, I managed to finish the first eight problems correctly, but then it went into clearing fractions. While I managed to remember how to do this after a little refresher, I still haven't managed to mesh that with what the answers book seems to be doing.

At eleven I walked the lark. We wandered by the dig on the way back to chat and inquire what those bags hanging off the bronco's hind leg were. They were soil samples, hung up to dry. The professor kindly explained what they were going to do with them, and while it made sense while she was telling me I'm not sure I remember enough to give a coherent explanation myself. I think she said they had two types, one for extra-small artifacts which they'll pan for with window-screen (as opposed to the usual quarter-inch screen, I think) and water, and one for macrobotanicals, like charcoal. Yeah, that sounds about right. The girl with the braids was very happy to see Lark, although I'm not so sure about the guy sitting by the trench who had the back of his neck licked.

Janice Thorpe came down from Boulder with a friend, Joan, and three kids: her Andrea and Ian and Joan's TJ. I took the kids for a short walk, somewhat to Lark's chagrin. She always heads for the long trail when we take short walks. TJ spent the entire time messing with his mom's iPhone, although I think he took a break to ask questions when we dropped in to see the archaeologists. There were a couple of guys in the first trench who were quite happy to make suitably intriguing answers to the boys' questions. We had to head back shortly, though, and then TJ started playing Beatles songs. Apparently some iPhones have built-in speakers now.

Grandma told me, after they left, that the Thorpes were the family who sailed around the world on Sea Fever. She has a photo journal of the time she spent with them in the Galapagos Islands. I managed to read most of the notes, despite the fact that I think they were written on board, decreasing readability of Grandma's already difficult writing. Thus the disadvantages of an italic education. The information did, however, explain Andrea's articulate maturity. She is, I believe, twelve, but she felt like an equal, and Ian was also mature for his age.

Having gotten through the four problems involving fractions, I took half a cantaloupe over to Sid's a bit before dinner, and we had a nice chat--focusing largely on exchange students. We got there via Joan's son TJ, who has been having trouble at school which his mother feels would be assisted by his holding back a year. I think she felt she'd missed the gap there, so when he's older she's planning to send him as an exchange student to Chile, in the process holding him back a year. So after I'd told Sid about this, she told me about an exchange student from France she'd taught a while ago. His name was Antoine, and he had quite a lot of issues.

For dinner Grandma fixed up the leftover beef roast from the Black-eyed Pea. It tasted much better after its month in the freezer. Grandma agreed, and she barely touched it fresh. We finished off a jar of applesauce with it, and for dessert Grandma had discovered the frozen lemon bars. They actually didn't really need to be thawed; the consistency was a bit stiffer, but they tasted about the same as from the fridge. It was interesting.

Well, that was fun. It's ten after eight, and a few minutes ago Isaac just knocked on the back door to give Lark her tennis ball back, staying for a minute or two to play. While Lark does have a ball, which we picked up out on a walk, I've a suspicion this one was one of Mitch's that she lost in Sid's front yard. Either way, Isaac and Little Sid were happy to attribute it to Lark. She was delighted to see them, frisking around with an expression of idiotic joy. 

Aaaaand.....an hour later......I think I'm getting off. Maybe watch Batman Begins. Otherwise read Fellowship of the Ring. 

Two Golden Retrievers, a spaniel and a pit bull

So, having gotten myself to sleep by about 11:15, I woke up at a quarter to seven this morning to discover that my alarm clock had reset a couple of hours ago. I reset everything, including the alarm, and dozed off until Lark scratched at the front door and we went and got the paper. It was seven when we got back in, and I gave up. I got dressed and made coffee, and as Grandma seems to be still asleep, Lark and I had some cuddle time. ......Grandma woke up about eight. Wow.

Lee and Karen came by this morning. Lee had Grandma practice using her cane, and Karen set up a telemonitoring system that takes Grandma's vitals and sends them to an office somewhere that decides whether or not to worry about them. Karen left about eleven-thirty, and then we had lunch off leftover chicken pasta casserole from Joan night before last. I love that stuff.

We left on our walk about 1:10, with Grandma asleep and one goal in mind. I wanted to see if, from the Heller estate, one could reach the dirt road that we took down the mountain yesterday. So we started on the Heller walk, taking the trail that loops around a tiny pond until it branched, a hundred yards or so past the water. There is a large rock at the branching, with a tree opposite it on he far side of the path. I stopped here to distribute fluids (I had decided that if Lark and I were going to be going on walks this long I would have to carry water) and here another hiker passed us. He had been trying to avoid us ever since we first glimpsed one another out in the open, but unfortunately for him the path he had taken looped around a hill and rejoined the trail shortly after we passed. He gave up and passed us--going by on the far side of the tree--and giving me an opportunity to make sure that it was a man, because he had long, thick hair, of a very light brown or a dark blonde, and was not particularly muscular. If it makes him feel any better I will say that once I got a decent look I was pretty sure he was male. The close-up just confirmed it. I called Lark away from him, he looked so uncomfortable. Possibly he had been hoping for a completely solitary hike. He shouldn't have picked that trail. Anyway, we took the branch leading southeast, my goal being the well-off neighborhoods that lined the valley on the far side of the mountains behind Magpie Hill. I found them, eventually, and we wandered through, now both tired, and with Lark leashed once more. A golden cocker spaniel barked at us from behind the corner of his house. I think he was tied up back there, so that he could just get his head around the corner. We stopped at a park and I offered Lark water again. She took a few swallows and then knocked over the tupperware with her leash. Lovely. We continued uphill, me wondering if I had enough water to get us home if it was still a long way, and Lark wondering how much farther before she could flop on the nearest cool surface. Fortunately, as I was wondering whether to take a downhill road through an apartment complex or investigate a "No Outlet" area that looked rather like the cul-de-sac I had found my road from, a nice youngish lady came out of the apartment complex with an extremely large, somewhat overweight and middle-aged Golden Retriever and a sleek white pit bull with brown patches on his head. I asked if there was an outdoor spigot (not that she had seen) and we exchanged compliments on our dogs. I asked about the road I was looking for, and she told me the cul-de-sac I had been eyeing was the place. I followed her in that direction, Lark hiding behind me whenever the middle-aged gallant made advances. We encountered a lady with a well-grown Golden puppy carrying a stuffed frog (I think. You know how it is with plushies) who made cheerfully swaggering advances toward me. I petted him while Lark investigated something else, enjoying the privileges of those with only one leash to hold. If it comes to that, the pit bull was probably stronger, though, and her Golden was about as easy to restrain as a horse. Anyway, the woman with the two dogs pointed me in the right direction, I thanked her, and the rest of the trip was about the same as yesterday, except for the human variety. There was a well-muscled young man apparently loading an expensive-looking (I draw this conclusion from my glimpse of the interior, which was of the two-seater cockpit variety) silver sports car, with an unfamiliar form of rap thumping from its speakers. The best moment was as we trudged down Stanton, though. A series of cars had whipped by, and Lark was looking increasingly miserable. I offered my arm for her leg up, if interested, and she gave me the look that says, "Oh, I'd love to but I just don't have the energy to get up there!" Right. -_-;; So I crouched and picked her up. As I was straightening another car went by, and I had a very good view of the driver's face. His mouth was open. :o I carried her about twenty yards or so, and set her down at the end of Jackie Adcock's driveway to offer water. She conveyed that water would be all very well in the kitchen at home. Otherwise, no thank you. I poured it back into her Nalgene and we walked on. We got home at a quarter to three.

......And I fell asleep on Grandma's bed. Oops.

Dinner was provided by Carol, I think her name was: a largeish lady undergoing treatment for cancer and consequently eating out most of the time. Tonight's dinner was at the Black-eyed Pea; it was roast beef with mashed potatoes and green beans. Speaking as someone who hasn't had to cook a meal the whole time I've been here, it was great. She provided vegetables, drinks, even dessert. She even brought plastic utensils. Speaking as someone who listened to Ruth Reichl from Cortland to Colorado Springs, it was pretty bad. The roast beef tasted odd, the green beans tasted like they'd been cooked with the beef, and the dessert was blueberry cobbler of unmitigated sweetness and uncomfortably crunchy seeds. The mashed potatoes were the best part, followed by the white rolls. To top it all off, Carol even made me glad we hadn't gone out with them as she had suggested by joking that I would probably have preferred a hamburger and fries by now. I am perfectly capable of enjoying a decent meal, thank you, and, so far, preferably home-cooked. Grrrr.

As Grandma was finishing up with dinner (she barely touched her meat) and after I had read a delightfully short chapter of The View From the Folding Chairs, Madeline-the-cat appeared, once more out of bounds. This is the signal for me to put my sandals on and call Lark, and we charge out to chase Maddy back where she belongs. Lark really enjoys it, and I always get to chat for a bit with the Seamans, as the cat only comes out when they do--in this case, as they had dinner. They were down to drinks when we came, and we had a nice talk about various things. I came back just in time to help Grandma get her pajamas on, and she's just gone to bed, having reiterated her position on the beneficial qualities of going to bed before eleven. Yes, ma'am. I'm workin' on it, ma'am. Kinda. She also asked if I showered on a particular day, which had the effect of reassuring me about waking her up at night while I'm in the bathroom. It was when I mentioned this that she mentioned earlier bedtimes. Mwerf.

Yummy updates and rereads. Shower now. Nighty night.

(Until Death Do Us Part; Kiss ni Hayaku; rereads: Kirai; Kare Kano.)

Should I do a post an update, or stick to a post a day?

Doberman Pinscher

Well, I went to bed rather later last night than.....scheduled, with the result that I jumped out of bed as soon as the alarm went off, pumped with adrenaline at the knowledge that I would sleep in if I didn't. I am now feeling miserably sleep-deprived....hopefully I can snatch some sleep before I walk Lark, because otherwise I will be death on toast.

Lark and I went over to chat with the Seamans for a bit, standing in the driveway in bare feet. They have sharp gravel, but it was nice talking. Ralph is, wonder of wonders, being careful with his shoulder--he says he doesn't want to have to do the surgery again. How surprisingly sensible.

Lark has been enjoying my discovery that I can just let her out and usually see her from the greenhouse. Supervised unsupervision for the win. :p

I'm reading a webcomic titled "Alien Dice". It's not particularly original, the accompanying writing is so stylistically awful that I mostly just read the comic, and the occasional flashes of greatness in the art are all that keeps me going. I'm also rereading The Corinthian, and, because it's finally completed, finishing Houkago Hokenshitsu-- After School Nightmare--Setona Mizushiro's most harrowing work, as far as I'm concerned. Diamond Head was pretty angsty too, a bit worse than my favorite so far, Shoujo Ningyo, Doll Girl. 

Well, Philip called just before lunch to check up on us, and then Grandma's hairdresser called to try to find out how to reach Grandma. I told her that Grandma's home now, and I believe she made an appointment to cut Grandma's hair here. Then while Grandma was still on the phone Linda, the occupational therapist, rang the doorbell. She was talking to Grandma when Carole showed up. :D It was kinda funny. Carole is a tallish (which is to say, taller than me, though maybe not that much) woman with brown hair cut to her shoulders, currently wearing a bright t-shirt and a long denim jumper with sunflowers embroidered on the front. Not quite as impressive as Lee's blue and green coordination, but rather nice.

We went for our walk while Grandma was in the shower, about one-thirty, perhaps, and got back close to three-thirty. We went by the Seamans' first, and spent some time chatting while Lark and Madeline played Pop goes the Weasel through the house. It was pretty funny--whenver Lark retreated, which wasn't often, Maddy advanced unobtrusively. Sid told me to come by on our way back as she had some clothes I might like, and then we went up to the top of the ridge, with Lark leading the way a great deal of the time. I asserted myself occasionally, as for instance when she went in entirely the wrong vertical direction, or took a path under very low branches. But it was pretty well up to her all the way to the top. Once up we followed the trail along the ridge, as usual not bothering with finding the Treasure. We followed the trail to its end in a wealthy neighborhood where I leashed Lark and tried to keep her off lawns and well-mulched flowerbeds. As we went through a young Doberman ran out on its lawn and barked at us. A human followed it to the door, and it did not come out in the street. They were the only visible life as we went along the loosely-defined block--we had come out into a cul-de-sac--and found a road that seemed to go in the right direction. It looked like a dead end, but closer inspection discovered the red dirt road I had seen from the ridge, leading down to the dormitory parking lot. It was posted--"University of Colorado Property. NO TRESPASSING. Violators Will Be Prosecuted."--but it went where I wanted to go and it looked like nothing else did. It went down the mountain in three stretches, zig-zag-zig, and after periodic consideration of the slopes we ended up just going off the road at the end of the first zig. It was fairly easy ground for all its near-verticality, and I maintained control until the last six feet, which were landscaped and steep. These were easily traversed with that run where you just try to move your feet fast enough to keep up with your body, and we made it to the parking lot. I'm considering stopping going through there. There are too many young people, and a lot of the guys look at me. Compliment or not, it's unnerving. This problem extends along Stanton as we walk home, with Lark exhausted and me worrying about getting a drink for her. I'm going to have to carry water if we keep this up, which I intend to. We made it to Sid's, where she supplied water, and then a fairly large heap of clothing. The best part was the fabrics. She finds the most amazing fabrics. So we chatted awhile, and then she escorted me home with an armful of clothes, a book set in WWII Japan, and a potted palm that had been in Grandma's sitting room and is now there once again. Anyway, she and Grandma chatted for awhile--apparently she has some hope of a new medication that may help her pain go away and possibly even let her hike again, which is relevant to my interests. She was here almost an hour, I think, and shortly after she left Harriet appeared with pork chops, roasted veggies, and watermelon chunks--all in disposable dishes. Wonderful woman.

Dinner was easy to prepare: thank you, Harriet. I went out twice, during the sitting-after-dinner and the sitting-after-dessert periods, to herd--to assist Lark in herding Sid's Maddy-cat back to her. Maddy seems to have an unfortunate interest in the bank along the road behind the house, and she went too far along it both times. Lark was delighted to remedy the situation.

Well, having gotten out of the shower just at eleven, I am now headed for bed. Please, keep me from going back to Cousin Kate......No fear, I'm too tired.