Well, lets see what we can do with this update…

Not a whole lot is new. We’ve dropped off all our application material to the USDA Rural Housing division and are waiting to hear back from them about whether or not we’ve been approved for a mortgage…I can only hope. I can’t describe how happy I would be to have a house of my own, one where we don’t have to listen to the park’s bullshit rules, deal with the ever increasing rent, etc. By their application it says 21 days is when it should be completed in, but they said it would be between 4 and 8 weeks because of their current workload…so we have to wait a bit, but we can only hope. There’s a few houses we like, and if we could move before the snow flies, that would be amazing.

I’ve been neglecting my blog a lot lately, but I’ve been really busy, working at least 60 hours/week most weeks lately. It’s been that way at work, lots to get done and I’m the only one who can do most of it. I am getting a fair bit worn out, but it happens. Hopefully things slow down a bit so I don’t have to work all the time. After this week it should slow down quite a bit. Only a few smaller projects that I have to take care of now.

Today is Sophie and Lola’s second birthday. That means we’ve had Sophie nearly a year already. She’s still quite the puppy, but she’s definitely pretty well behaved. They’re some of the best dogs I’ve ever had. Lola is a bit more of a spoiled puppy than Sophie is, a lot like Romeo because that’s how she was spoiled from her previous owner.

I’ve got to get my N900 sent in again to get the dust cleaned out from under the screen and fix the 2 bright spots that are in my screen. Though, Nokia World is coming up here in 10 days, and they’ll be announcing their new phones there, including the N9! I’m very excited to hear about it and see that exactly the phone is and the specifications. If it’s anything like what I’ve heard, I’m definitely going to be purchasing one. I miss AT&T 3G support very much.

Now…the weather…WTF. It’s been low-mid 60s pretty much all weekend, yet it’s supposed to get 80s this week, and then 60s in between them…oh Michigan weather, how I love you. Now hurry up and get some snow here so I can have some fun in it!

Well, I hope everyone (In the US at least) is enjoying their Labor day! That’s all for now.

TTFN

-Michael

I figured I’d give you all a quick update. Today (well, yesterday when this gets published), Nicole and I went out to Jenison to VI Pets to pick up stuff for my tank, a light, a plant, and some fish for it. They didn’t have anything in the way of lights that would do what I want. They did have a 3 LED light for it, but it wasn’t possible to change the bulbs in them without tearing it apart, which isn’t what I wanted. They also didn’t have any glofish that I wanted, just the same ol’ selection they had when I was there on Tuesday, a couple red and a yellow glofish. So off we went to VI Pets on Plainfield to see what they had. They had a much better selection in lights for my tank, I actually found one that was designed for my type of tank that sits on top of it. Now, since this is the first life in my tank, I figured I’d start small anyways, and not kill off $10 glofish to start with, you know – just in case. Right now I’ve got 2 glolite tetras and 4 ghost shrimp in it, as well as a wisteria plant that I picked up. So we’re on a good start to getting this tank going, but of course VI Pets didn’t have much of a selection of glofish either, just a few red and a yellow one. Here’s a picture of my fish:

And a picture of my plant and thermometer I got:

And a picture of my light I found:

And here’s how it looks right now:

Now all I have to do is find a blacklight bulb in a C7 size to make it work…so far it’s proving a bit harder than it seems, but hopefully I can find one and get this project done the way I want it

While we were out tonight, I decided I was going to look for some remote control outlets. You know, for those times when you have a hard to reach plug and want to easily turn it on/off? I found a 3-pack at Meijer tonight for only $25 so I picked it up (this is just one of the 3 outlets, one is being used for my rope light and one for my fish tank light):

So…I’ve definitely made some progress, but we’re not done yet!!

TTFN

-Michael

So…a fair bit to talk about this time, let’s see if I can get it all down without forgetting anything this time.

I’ll start with the “new pup?” Part first, for those who are curious, I won’t make you suffer through the rest of my ramblings just to get to it. So, you should all know about Sophie by now, our Mastiff/Husky mix. Well, Nicole was texted by Sophie’s old owner because she has Sohpie’s sister, Lola, and due to her job she has to move and can’t take Lola with her. She thought to text us since we do have Sophie and they are sisters. So, last night we went to go see Lola, she definitely has a resemblance to Sohpie, but she’s a bit taller and has more Husky in her, the hair color/type and her tail. She seems to have a bit more of the Husky temperment and energy too. We decided to bring her home and see if she would fit in, since there’s only so much you can do/tell in a 30 minute span at Lola’s house. She is used to a bigger yard and invisible fence, as well as being the only dog, but she seems to be getting along alright. We usually cage our animals at night just so we aren’t dealing with messes in the morning or constant moving. Well, Lola came with a cage, but we left it in the Escape last night when we came in as we don’t have a spot for it right now. So we put Patch and Romeo in his cage, and we put Sophie and Lola in Sophie’s cage. Patch and Romeo got along just fine, as always, but we had some issues with Lola. I think it was more nervous excitement more than anything, but Lola was growling/whining/barking and scratching at the cage, so I let her out, that is until she decided to start eating the cat’s food; she had about 15 minutes out of the cage after going outside, so I put her back in the cage after that, thinking that she’d calm down a bit, boy I was wrong. So, to remedy the situation, Sophie got to hang out outside the cage since she’s good at night, and Lola hung out in the cage alone. After a few squirts from the water bottle for barking and scratching, she settled down and we all finally slept. So far, it seems that she’s getting along well, her and Sophie play a LOT and seem to really enjoy each other, Romeo has been staying out of it mainly for now because of his leg, which I’ll get into later, and Patch is pissed off as I expected. We’ll see how Lola continues to adapt, she’s not quite as behaved as I’d like, but she’s also new to the house and a bit more energetic. As I told her owner, this isn’t for sure, if she’s not going to fit in well, she’ll have to find another home, but if she will, she can absolutely stay with us. So we’ll see how it goes.

And a few pictures of Lola!:

So, next since I’m thinking about it is Romeo’s leg. The little shit somehow broke his outside toe leg bone, right below his “knee” joint. Its a very small break and the ER vet doctor had to take about 20 xrays to find it. We got him casted up there, 2 Sundays ago and then took him to the vet on Friday, they said there was no reason for a cast so big, so they just wrapped it up with gauze and an ace bandage and sent him home. It was much smaller, but it turned out it wasn’t placed right because gis foot started swelling below it. So we had to go back to the vet office and he re-wrapped it with a bigger ace, and wrapped it around his paw this time because it had slid down last time. So far he’s doing good with it, walking on it and all, but if he twists it wrong or gets hit there he’s in a bit of pain, but it subsides quickly, so he’s got to be careful for a while yet while it heals.

Moving on again; Project alientank has commenced. For those who don’t know what that is, I’m putting a small 2.5 gallon fishtank on my desk between my monitors which I’m going to put glofish in with a blacklight so it looks neat. Hopefully finishing it up this weekend and can’t wait! Here’s a few pics of how it’s going now, all that’s missing are some plants in it, a light, and fish:

100461004010043

Here’s what it looked like before (a mess I know):

10034

In other new, Nicole and I are looking at getting a mortgage so we can get into a house and out of this place. It’s a good starter place, but it’s falling apart, rent is going through the roof again, and it’s actually cheaper for a mortgage than the rent and bills we have to pay here, hopefully soon enough.

I was going to put more here, but I’ve decided for the time being I’ll keep that to myself for now, at least until I’m more sure of the situation.

TTFN

-Michael

This applies to all pets in general but is written about a dog.

How could you?
A man in Grand Rapids, Michigan incredibly took out a $7000 full page ad in the paper to present the following essay to the people of his community.

HOW COULD YOU? – By Jim Willis, 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was “bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” — but then you’d relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” – - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.” As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch — because your touch was now so infrequent — and I would’ve defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog ,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with “papers.” You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, “How could you?”

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind — that this was all a bad dream… or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days.
As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured, “How could you?”

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said, “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself — a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

A Note from the Author: If “How Could You?” brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly “owned” pets who die each year in American & Canadian animal shelters. Please use this to help educate, on your websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.
Please pass this on to everyone, not to hurt them or make them sad, but it could save maybe, even one, unwanted pet. Remember…They love UNCONDITIONALLY.