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Happy (Freakin') Halloween from the Dog

The Day I Humiliated my Dog

Errands, we all have to run them, like it or not. I like them not, but having Webster along for the ride does make these side trips more enjoyable. And any opportunity Webster has to go for a ride in the car, no matter where the destination (excluding the vet's office, of course), he's ready, willing and standing at the front door. Today's destination: PetSmart. We needed to fill up on beastly supplies. After all, in addition to Webster, our family members include Mugsy the cat and Dustie the bird, whom, I might add, is one of the noisiest cockatiels you've ever heard. Honestly, it's a good thing that we live in the country and not too close to our neighbors. 

When we arrive at the PetSmart parking lot, Webster immediately is placed in a shopping cart (yes, he is spoiled in case you were wondering)!  He thoroughly enjoys shopping cart rides through the store, and he’s grown quite accustomed to being wheeled up and down the isles where we have to stop every so many feet so that people can "oogle" over him. Did I mention he is spoiled?

We walk inside and what do my eyes behold, but reds and oranges and pinks to behold. Yes, there they are all lined up with care, lots and lots of doggie Halloween costumes. Webster, beware!

The store visit went downhill from there, at least from Webster’s perspective. While I have no intention of dressing him up for Halloween and parading him up and down the street (I swear this is a very common practice in the seaside, upscale town of Carmel, California, just 45 minutes from where we live), trying on a hat or two was definitely in the cards for Webster. I couldn't resist, much to Webster's humiliation. And, to make matters worse, again, from Webster's perspective, I just happened to have my camera with me so that we could document Webster's my fun. 

Hilarious!  I laughed until I cried. 

For this, I am certain, at some future point there will be a follow up blog post titled, "The Day I Humiliated my Owner, Love Webster."

October 28th, or the Day That I Blew it!

I had been working 16+ hour shifts on a special project for the previous company in which I worked as a program manager.  Literally, I was working pretty much every waking hour, many days from home, where I rolled out of bed at 6:00 am worked all day and rolled back to bed at 3:00 am. Still, there really wasn't much of an excuse. Jobs come and go as I have painfully learned, but my mate, my husband, well, he's a keeper!

That fateful night on October 28th,  I was working late in my home office. In spite of the repeated calls from upstairs to please come up for dinner, I would call up every so often and say, "one more minute, or just a few minutes more, just let me get one more email out."  It was 2 hours before I eventually gave up on email and went upstairs for dinner. 

Wandering up into the kitchen I saw Bill standing at the counter, several feet from the table. On the kitchen table was a beautiful, candlelight dinner, the candles obviously having burned for quite some time, as was painfully obvious by the streaming wax down their sides, which puddled onto the table. The food, in spite of having grown cold, smelled wonderful. 

"Hey, this is  nice," I blurted out. "What's the occasion, or are you feeling sorry for me for having worked so many hours this week?"  I laughed, amused by my idiotic humor, and I continued to eye the beautifully set table. I was awfully hungry.

He said nothing, and my doltishness continued. 

I walked over to where Bill was standing, ready to give him a big hug of thanks when I noticed a card with my pet name on it AND a dozen long-stemmed, white roses. My face crumpled and my eyes squinted as I, once again, asked what was the occasion.  This time, his eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open, like a little kid that had seen a ghost, or some other horrific, unbelievable sight. Still, he remained patient -- and speechless. But as the moments, which seemed like hours, mounted, a look of horror finally covered my face. Oh my God, it's October 28th, OCTOBER 28TH, OCTOBER FREAKIN' 28TH!  October 28th?  Our wedding anniversary, and the anniversary of our first date. I don't recall exactly what I said after I realized it was our anniversary, although I do recall muttering in a barely audible tone, "I'm sorry" and "I can't believe this."  For which I REALLY couldn't believe it!

"So you admit that your forgot our anniversary" he said, rather flatly, not in an angry tone, but more from a position of disbelief. I nodded, my head slowly sinking to floor level.  There really wasn't anything that I could say at this point to redeem myself, nor anything to cover up the fact that I was an ass for forgetting our anniversary. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing I could say or do at that point.

As I stood there in silence I wondered, hey, isn't this something that he's supposed to forget, because he's the "guy" and everyone knows that if someone is going to forget an anniversary, it's the guy, damn it?!  I also had to wonder that If the situation had been reversed and he forgot our anniversary, would I be as forgiving as he was now? Probably not, if I was going to be completely honest about it. 

I begged him to call me names, call me an ass, tell me how selfish I am, yell at me, scream at me, for God sakes make me feel better, pahleese!!!  I cursed him under my breath when he said, quite simply, "It's Okay."

That was a couple of years ago, and, thankfully, I have not forgotten our anniversary since that time (but hey,  I'm still young, with many more opportunities to make an ass out of myself).  

Today, October 28th 2008, is our 3rd wedding anniversary, and our 13th anniversary of being together. I remember eloping to Yosemite as if it were yesterday. 

Sweetheart, if you will kindly go look on the kitchen table there is a card and surprise for you. Happy anniversary.

I Love you, Katherine.

The Pumpkin Patch

October is one of my favorite months! And with October comes Halloween. And as silly as it sounds, I LOVE Halloween. Even though it's been a couple of years since I've dressed up into some alter ego costume, I still love all the hoopla.  Sometimes, I'll head over to a friend's house where I know there will be lots of little trick-or-treaters (they scare so easily), and other times, we'll head down to Santa Cruz where all the shopkeepers dress up and hand out candy. As Santa Cruz is an eccentric place to begin with, you never quite know what your path will likely cross. Regardless of where I head for the actual festivities, I always head to my favorite pumpkin patch, The Seaside Pumpkin Patch in Davenport, Ca, just to people watch and take photos. 

This trip, we met the sweetest family. Mom and dad and two sweet (and polite) golden haired little boys. Every other pumpkin they found set off new sparks of excitement. Their enthusiasm grew by leaps and bounds as they ran down every single isle inspecting the pumpkins, making sure that they did not miss viewing a single one, big or little. Once they had made their choices (which would change over the next ten or so minutes) it was time to fetch a wagon so that they could load up their exquisite finds.  The exercise of loading and unloading pumpkins (behind every pumpkin there was, yet again, an even better pumpkin) went on about 5 or 6 rounds before they made up their minds (which I sum up to sheer exhaustion of lifting up one too many pumpkins).  Next on the activity list was climbing up on the tractor (mom, encouraging this as obviously she's thinking ahead -- thinking about bedtime). Finally, it was picture tim, and I am certain that mom snapped some stunning photos. At least the boys stopped moving to the point that she could take some stunning photos. 

Watching kids delight in such simple pleasures makes me (sometimes) wish that I had my own kids to terrorize enjoy on Halloween. But then again, there's always Webster.  But that's a blog post for another day!

Blog Break

So I took a blog break this weekend to get out and get some fresh air. Here is one of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Details to follow.

Photo Inspiration: Reflection

You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.
~George Bernard Shaw~

Barack Obama: Change We Need

Barack Obama inspires me. And it's been a very long time since I have been inspired by a politician. But Barack Obama is no ordinary politician. He is a leader. Finally, we have a leader.  How long has it been, I ask you, since we have seen and felt real leadership in this country? I don't know about you, but I feel like we Americans have forgotten what it is like to have a leader instead of a politician, because we have had too many politicians that make promises that are never kept. Politicians with agendas that have very little, if anything, to do with the strength of our country and the welfare of those who call this country their home. Listening to Barack Obama's speech, he inspires me when he says: "There are no real parts of the country and fake parts of the country. There are no pro-American parts of the country and anti-American parts of the country. We all love this country, no matter where we live and where we come from."  I hope that you will watch this video and watch it with an open mind, but I will forewarn you, prepare to be inspired.

My Favorite Things: The Architect's Bird Feeder

Very clever, is this bird feeder that requires no tools to put it together!  I love the elegant look.  I have to chuckle when I think about my Stellar's Jays and how they might finally meet their match in NOT being able to rob the feeder of all the seeds.

http://www.architectsbirdfeeder.com

To order, see: http://www.architectsbirdfeeder.com/

John McCain & Sarah Palin: HIs the Campaign Trail Littered?

How much can you respect politicians when the campaign trail gets dirty?

The GOP is looking desperate to win the presidential election, given their recent publicity tactics. I must admit that I am truly horrified and disgusted that the GOP would dredge up the pain and fear that Americans suffered during the 9/11 attacks for their own gain. It is, quite simply, inexcusable.

The GOP approved flyers, listed below, were sent to families in Missouri and Virginia. They painfully outline the horrors of 9/11 and all but call Obama a terrorist.

Has this campaign trail been littered?

How fair is it to imply that Barack Obama, is a strange man who might cause airplanes to crash into buildings?

Does the GOP, John McCain and Sarah Palin really believe that we Americans are ignorant enough to believe in this propaganda?  

I think not, and I think this will come out loud and clear come election day.

Full article here. 

An Inspirational Read

I was very touched by this story, so much so, that I became chocked up while reading it. It's a sweet read.

The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget by Ken Nerburn

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

Full story here.