Road Buzz

In order to get all of his stuff into his smaller suitcase, we had to deflate the soccer ball a little. I insisted that the bag be zipped and locked before I agreed to even put it in the car. For some reason he hasn't figured out, after all these years and trips together, that I can't kick the ball and pass transport trucks at the same time. Getting the ball away from him long enough to make it transportable wasn't easy. I think he remembers that day a long time ago when he went to sleep and woke up missing a pair of balls. Those were his favourite ones, too.

Of course, it was all my fault and am not, now, to be completely trusted.

In addition to one partially inflated soccer ball, he packed one forty pound bag of IAMS Weight-Loss, Chicken and Rice Formula, two large bags of Marrow Bones, and four pounds of hamburger. (Eeewww! I might need to get that out of the car soon!) When I asked him why he felt he needed to carry so much food when the exact same thing was available in Canada, he muttered something about not being keen on a remake of "The Incredible Journey" or "Homeward Bound." I am so very glad I never screened "Lassie Come Home" for him. I thought it might actually hit too close to home and give him nightmares. He twitches enough in his sleep chasing those imaginary rabbits!

All this packing took place on Sunday night. On Monday "Killer" and I embarked (arrf! arrf!) on our less than incredible journey, a 2700 mile trek from Houston, Texas to Halifax, Nova Scotia. His real name isn't "Killer", it's Kenai......pronounced Keen-eye. "Killer" is a persona he adopts when we take these little trips alone together.....or when the pizza man comes to the door. He makes sure nothing happens to me, and that no one steals my camera or my laptop from the car when I run into McDonald's to use the restroom. To morph from Kenai into "Killer" isn't all that hard, really. We lay off the brushing and grooming for a week and then remove the cute little red hankerchief from around his neck. We replace it with a thick leather collar studded with half inch spikes. You can't see them in the photo because of all that fur but trust me he has spikes!


So far we've been driving four days. Our first night was in Little Rock....*waves to Jill and Norbert, the cat.* (I hope the garage wasn't too hot for ya' Norbie!) On the second night we made Knoxville. Should I have known that we were not in a very good hotel when Mr. Bang This Empty Bowl Across the Kitchen Floor Because You're Too Slow Fillin' It refused to eat his food there? Gini took one look at the place and concurred. *waves to Gini* The hotel she found us was much more to his taste. He ate five pounds of food for breakfast in that room before we left on Wednesday! He even folded his napkin correctly.

We made it to Harrisburg in time to catch the beginning of the hockey game from Raleigh. "Killer" got a little bored with the game after the second period but found ways to amuse himself in the room while I read the message boards and kept one eye on the TV. He played......"Look Mom! I Can Turn Your Sheltie into a Boxer"


He looks more like Mother Teresa to me.

I ignored him and gave him my camera to play with for a while. He took a bunch of pics and proved that it isn't all that hard to amuse yourself when alone in a hotel room.









Eventually, all that picture taking took its toll.


He's asleep right now, just like I should be. That road buzz feeling just left me about an hour ago and I am beginning to get a little tired. Tomorrow will be a short day....only 450 miles, a border crossing (No officer, I don't have anything to declare. Why is my car sitting so low in the rear? Oh, that.....I'm hauling the decorations for a 50th wedding anniversary party.....and thirty-four pounds of dog food. Would you like to see his health certificate? Isn't that a pretty frame? We call him "Killer")

I get to see my kids (who are no longer kids) for the first time in 6 months and they'll get to see their dog again. And that is going to be a big surprise!


**Note to Self** Next time keep both eyes on the hockey game and forget about what your silly dog is doing.

Technorati tags: Shelties, Road Trips, Pet Travel, Clay Aiken

Brad and Angelina

Brad and Angelina stopped by for the first time about six weeks ago. I had a hunch they were looking for a nice, quiet, safe and private place to prepare for the latest addition to their family. At first I wasn’t sure if I really wanted them setting up house on my baker’s rack. Likewise, I could tell they weren’t too sure about me either. They came and went several times during the next few days. Angelina would settle herself in between the resin lighthouses on the second shelf and sit for a few hours. Brad would pace back and forth on the railing…….he kept a watchful eye on the goings on in my living room ……not too sure if we were to be trusted or not it, seemed.



There certainly was enough noise passing through the screen door to frighten them off for good, but when I saw Brad carrying bits of straw in his beak I began to think that maybe they did plan to take up residence after all. Over the course of that first weekend, six weeks ago, they built a nest on the top shelf of the baker’s rack. It’s a nice shady spot, under cover and partially hidden from outside view by a big pine tree. I thought for sure that the barking of Killer *g* or the crowd noise from hockey games on the TV would scare them off. I left the screen door open so they’d get a taste of what daily life was really like at Casa Sally.

Every once in a while I like to use the balcony to sit out…… to read a book or the paper. When my mother calls, I take the phone out there and park myself in a deck chair. I guess my idea of living dangerously is having the neighbors know all of my business. The prospect of being balcony-less for the gestation and nurturing period of baby birds wasn’t all that appealing and I KNEW that once that nest was out there, I wouldn’t have the heart to go out there and risk disturbing it. I was half tempted to start using the balcony even more……kind of stake it out and let them know it was MY territory and that they were welcome to join me, but they weren’t going to run me off either. Mother nature seemed to take of my little dilemma when they both disappeared and I didn’t see beak nor feather for almost a month. I maintained my usual balcony routine, forgot about staking my claim and went on with my indoor existence.



They came back about two weeks ago. Angelina sits on her nest all day and all night with occasional relief from Brad. It’s funny how things are in nature. Angie sits low in the nest, looks very comfy and happy to be there. She fluffs out her feathers and seems to be very Zen about the whole thing. When Brad takes over, the shift change is obvious. He is the epitome of a nervous father. He sits higher in the nest and he watches the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. It looks like his biggest fear isn’t so much outside intruders, as it is being caught in the middle of a hatching and not knowing what to do……I definitely get a “I’ll sit here as long as you get your tail feathers back here pronto.” vibe from Brad. "No, stopping by your sister's for a worm.....not even an itsy bitsy inch worm."



One would naturally assume that a pair of fine feathered doves like Brad and Angelina must have several homes. That month they were gone…..could have been an extended honeymoon or maybe they were trying on other neighborhoods for size. I guess the fact that they’ve chosen to share the birth of their babies with me, exclusively, makes me feel kind of proud. So far I haven’t noticed any circling vultures but there is a large contingent of pidgeonazzi hanging around on nearby roof tops waiting for their first shot at the newborns. Killer’s job is to take care of any cats, so it's a good thing I’m not expecting any.

In lieu of the use of my balcony for the next couple of months (I’m not going to be here anyway…..but they don’t know that yet), I’ve worked out a little deal with the pair. I can use the new camera I got this week to snap the first shots of the babies. Peeper Magazine has offered me $400.00 for them. Trouble is, if they aren’t born by tomorrow morning, I’m going to be out of luck……..

I wonder if I set out some leftover Taco Bell would Brad bring it to Angie and help move things along a bit. In the meantime, I’d better go figure out a way to introduce the new Nikon to John. It wouldn’t do to have John and the D50 to get off on the wrong foot….’specially since I didn’t buy the Canon point and shoot I had planned to, but got the dSLR instead. So he isn’t exactly expecting it…….and when he sees the size of the case he has to tote around Denmark for me……he’s going to have a bird!

Gosh, maybe if Brad went out and got himself a new Nikon camera on their Visa card, Angie would have a bird, too. Come on , Ange......I'm leaving in the morning!

Technorati tags: Brad and Angelina, Doves, Baby Birds