Just back and just about to go again

August already this year is moving right along. I have just returned from a 5 day camping trip to the “Posse Camp” up Thomas Creek and I have to tell you it was the warmest trip so far this year.

There were lots of times it was best to just set in the shade and listen to the dog pant. This trip was with family and we had a great time with everyone that came. If I had anything to complain about other than the weather it might have been the Yellow Jackets that seemed to find us toward the last of the trip. Or it could have been the closure of the private timber around us for “FIRE DANGER”. That kept us on the property controlled by the S.O. and was okey doked by the Private Timber Company with the understanding I would inform anyone I saw in the area they were in a closed area. Back to regulating human behavior again.

After all the visiting was done I decided it was best to return to the home place refit and reload for the next trip. Now I need a destination and an idea what the middle son is thinking for his birthday that is coming up at the end of this week.

This birthday is a big one “21″. Yes 21 and he has moved out of the house. Big changes. She who must be obeyed is back to working a 8 hour day 5 days a week and I am between projects a better time to go camping, no this is the time to go. See ya.

Quick update from my new phone

I have a new phone and thought I might be able to blog from.  It looks like FaceBook might be the best use for the new phone.  It is a little too difficult to text lots of data the qwerty keyboard.

I like the phone otherwise it is an envy 3 and an improvement over the last envy phone I had.  The last one was a great phone and was in use for over 2 1/2 years.

It is too hot outside to do any work so I am hiding in the house this afternoon.  It is not like the day has been wasted.  This morning I walked the dog for over an hour mowed the lawn, went to town and bought supplies to make home made ice cream.  This evening we are having company and later this afternoon I am going into town to see a car show.

For right now I am playing with the new phone and blogging.

A brief on Zeek

It has been a long time since I made an entry in this blog. Sorry about that but I do have an excuse. I have had something that has dominated my time for the last 4 months. Zeek the newest addition to our family arrived on March 23. Since that date with few exceptions we are never very far from each other.

I think I might be a little too close to the dog but after all it is the first one I have had for a long time and I want to avoid the mistakes I have made with the others. Listening to all the advice it seemed prudent to spend all the time with Zeek I could especially in the first several days and months. After a while trying to decide who the pet and who the owner is gets a little blurred. Just the other night after the 3^rd time I got up to let him out, after that cute little bark at the sliding glass door, I realized I might be letting the dog be the owner.

Before Zeek I got into a routine in the morning that was pretty comfortable. Now and for the last 4 months I haven’t slept in longer than 0620 hours. By 2200 hours I am beat and rarely am I up past 2300 hours. Zeek was at the Vet last Friday for his operation and I was almost at a loss for what to do without a dog. So here is a brief recap on the dog situation if you haven’t been following on my facebook page. In fact I might just cut and paste some of the notes I made there.

Friday, April 10, 2009 at 7:45am

On Sunday I took the trailer and Zeek for a camping trip to Posse Camp. It was Zeek’s first camping trip and my first with a dog for more years that most can remember. I wanted to see how the crate would work in the trailer and had few expectations about how Zeek would act.
LeAnn followed me up to the camp and then went home after a few hours watching Zeek and I make camp and begin to be in lazy camping mode. That move to lazy camping mode did not take a couple hours.
On the down side I never got more than 3 hours sleep at a time, we had two accidents, and a great time. I haven’t had more than 4 hours sleep at a time in over 2 weeks so that was not much of a change. Both accidents were in the kitchen and not on the carpet. That is better than at home. I had more laughs during this camping trip than usual. Okay with the exception of watching Nick do some weird things in the past.
Zeek kept his leash on most of the time so it was pretty easy to check his movements when he was near something that would hurt him or bother me. I did feel confident he was watching me all the time and stayed close when we were exploring the area. He came when I called and is getting better with that all the time. All in all Zeek is shaping up to be a great camping partner.
Zeek is doing very well riding in the truck sleeping most every time he gets into his crate.

Monday, May 4, 2009 at 7:24am

Well in a little while if I get some chores done I will post a few photos of the last camping trip. I spent the last week at Posse Camp with Bruce Heilman and his dog Clyde a 3 year old Yellow Lab. Camping with Bruce was fun but watching the two dogs play was the payoff. What a riot watching Zeek and Clyde play.

The first day they met Zeek got rolled and in general knocked around playing ruff seemed to be something he really enjoyed. The next day Zeek got better at spinning and dodging the big dog and before it was over Zeek was refining his use of chairs and vehicles to hide next to and sneak attack whenever possible.

Zeek has also shown a propensity for theft of other dog’s food, dishes, bones, and whatever is not nailed down including grill scrapers, paper, socks, and tree branches.

Not one accident in the trailer and he slept 7 to 8 hours in a row for the past 6 days. I am so happy with that bit of news.

Bruce and I got schooled by Kent Mueller on carpentry and tried to ask only the questions necessary to keep from getting yelled at. OK we only asked the questions that might keep us from having to make too many trips up the ladder for nothing. At times it was like building a boat in a bottle in the dark without knowing what the boat was going to look like.

I will be spending the next few days cleaning the trailer and catching up on things around the house. I think my sister would approve of the things Zeek has been exposed to in the time since he came to like here. A few are listed in below:

All types of people, tall short, young old, in uniform, dressed like a bum or ready for church, rides in two different jet sleds, camping in SW Oregon, Wild Turkeys, Deer, raccoons, young dogs, old dogs, happy dogs, and grumpy dogs, nail guns, 5 hour pickup rides, rain storms, warm sunshine. Come to think about it I have had a lot of fun since getting Zeek. What did I ever do before having such a good camping partner.

Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 6:50am

On Friday Zeek rode in the truck for over 6 hours and over 370 miles. We left Tangent with two friends for La Pine via Hwy 58 and Oakridge for breakfast. Then to La Pine for a funeral and onto Camp Sherman via Sisters because if must be done. Zeek had the opportunity to play in the Metlous River and Snow at 5,000 feet.
As far as I can tell the only problem we had was Zeek’s snoring. He is a very good traveler.

As you can see I haven’t been very good about keeping up with the postings on facebook either. Well I could say I would try harder but we will just have to see. This retirement thing is very demanding and I have a lot to do. It is not that easy keeping up with shade moving the chair and taking naps.

If you haven’t seen Zeek or been bored with the photos of him, he is now 42 pounds at 4 months. He has very big feet and it would not surprise me to see him get up to 95 or a 100 pounds before this adventure ends. He doesn’t dig in the flowers, he does like to eat branches off a bush LeAnn has planted around a tree in the back yard. (I didn’t like the bush but that is not why the dog ate it.) He is house trained and sleeps in his crate without awakening me for 8 hours, when he is up he sometimes thinks I am his personal servant. Zeek knows his name and will come when called 98% of the time, if there are no small children around.

Zeek is disappointed when people don’t stop to talk with him and that goes for every car or truck that goes by. I have not seen anyone he doesn’t like yet, including several I can live without. Zeek knows sit, and is getting better at down. One of these days soon he will stop jumping up on Nick when he first gets home. Zeek walks with me the way you want a 100 pound dog to walk and gets in a lot of trouble when he pulls on the leash unless we are going up hill and I want the help.

I don’t know what I did without a dog before but couldn’t imagine leaving him in a crate all day waiting for me to get home. I feel sorry for those that have to leave their dogs at home while they work. Now if we can get this little problem about whose is the pet and who is the master worked out life will be grand.

All should be aware especially the skeptics LeAnn is becoming attached to the dog and has not only bought food for Zeek she has petted him and speaks to him. She is his own personal squeaky toy when she has no shoes on, and in turn LeAnn is attempting to teach Zeek complete sentences. Such as: Don’t do that anymore. You quit that. What are you doing? What is your problem? Leave that alone. Get away from my feet. For my part I have let LeAnn know that Zeek will answer all those questions and stop the deviant behavior if she uses fewer words. After all she taught me to stop doing a lot of things by just saying “no”.

How Old Retired Guys should act

I was told today at lunch that it had been observed old retired guys often buy bird feeders, make bird houses, and get protective of their backyard birds.
This information was given to me moments before I was going to go buy a feeder for humming birds. Saw my first one of the season this morning while I was watching my birds at my backyard feeder.
Well so be it. I bought the feeder for the humming birds and had one at the feeder within 10 minutes. Don’t worry I sent that bit of intel to the same guy a short time later by text message. Guess I am a official old guy. I do like to watch the birds at the feeder in the morning.

I think I have it all

Ok 7 days to go. We are camping on Friday. We will return on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday should be the day the adventure begins. I think I have all the necessary equipment for the dog. I know that so far the purchase price of the dog is most likely the least expensive part of the adventure.

So I am resolved to keep the cost of this adventure in the back ground. I need to do some research about puppy food. I have all the bowls I need but I am not settled on what I am going to put in the bowl.

Here is the inventory so far: 5 X 6 X 10 foot kennel with a 4 X8 foot stall pad setting on concrete next to the house and in view of the kitchen and patio. He has a 29 inch crate that will be his den and safe place in the garage. This will be furnished with a blanket and will have a radio playing near by. I have purchased an expandable gate to keep him in only one room. He owns a small chew toy made of rawhide. I bought him a water bowl and food bowl that are not too big and have a non tip over kind of base. We have collar that is small enough for a puppy, it is green and made of nylon. I will use that when he goes outside. Which should be about once an hour for the next two years. We also have a leash that is about 6 feet long and not too heavy. I got some special stuff to clean up puppy poop, and 5 books about dogs. I don’t think I am missing anything big.

Better get to reading.

The puppy years

Not being one to jump into things too fast I put money down on a new puppy Thursday. It is a Chocolate Lab that was born on February 9. It was a litter of 10 and I am the last one to reserve a pup out of this litter so I will be getting the one that is left after everyone takes theirs. Please don’t mourn for me over this I think it is going to be a blessing. I will explain later.

I have been thinking about a dog for some time now but have been putting it off for several reasons. I enjoyed my dog when I was a boy in the canyon, but I never spent enough time in the training to make it a good hunter retriever. That dog did have some natural ability and was very good retrieving rocks. I had a couple of dogs when I was on the place in Lacomb. Those dogs didn’t last very long. Neighbor got one with her car; the other one got a taste for chickens. Just didn’t work out having them and working.

At any rate this time in my life is the best time I can think of for having a dog. I did my research and found a couple of options and spent time getting my sister’s permission to have a dog. She told me once that I should never have a dog. I think it had something to do with being a little judgmental about other people’s dogs. So the choice is made and the dog on the way.  Now I have to get some dog stuff together.

I am thinking that the puppy will be coming home around March 25^th. We are going camping between March 20^th and the 25^th. Today is March 16, 2009.  I have taken some steps to get the place ready for the dog, and I have some more things to do.

So far I have acquired a Crate for the dog to live in.  For now that will be kept in the garage.  I have also purchased and put together a kennel for the future years.  The kennel is 5′ X 6′ X 10′ and is at the back end of the new RV pad that was poured in February.

For the next few days until I get the dog I intend to make a dog house for the Kennel and immerse myself in some books I got from a friend about dog training.  This should be fun I will keep you posted.

Some of the things to look for in the next blogs might be:

How is the Princess doing with the dog in the house? I and most everyone that knows the Princess understand she is not one known for having pets on her lap, or their cold noses surprise her when she is not looking. For that mater have their cold noses come in contact with her anytime. Our ace dog negotiators have been able to secure a part of the family room for the dog and will not violate any previous agreements concerning dogs in the house.

How much patience does an old retired guy have for dog poop? This one might be one of those questions that need qualification. Things such as, how runny is it? What part of the floor is it on? Did I step on that or was it put there?

As I used to say when working and presented with new things “It is going to be interesting.”

Hunting for Pheasants

This past weekend I had a little time to enjoy life. I went to Rugg’s Ranch out of Heppner, Oregon with some good friends and did a little Pheasant Hunting. The time spent there was great. It started with a drive to the area up the Columbia River Gorge.

That is a part of Oregon that never seems to get old for me. I like the area and there is always a lot to look at. Water falls and boats spice up the drive up river. At this time of year you are never real sure what the weather will bring during a trip up the river. On this tip it presented us with cool weather and great views. The drive was made more interesting by the company in the truck and the conversation about almost everything.

By arriving in The Dalles at about 1030 a.m. we had time to have a big breakfast and some leg stretching before returning to the journey. Both the time in the restaraunt and the time in the parking lot contained some leg pulling if you know what I mean.

This year we stayed in a farm house about 20 minutes from Heppner. The ranch is a two story home in a canyon that you might think would keep you out of the wind. There was snow on the hills on both sides of the canyon and the temperature was in the low 40’s when we arrived. After we got there we took advantage of a clay pigeon thrower and broke a few birds before going inside the house. Dogs guns and good friends it was a good day.

Dinner was cooked by Fred and satisfied all of us. Cooking for a group like that requires some preparation and Fred did a great job with chili and potatoes. There was time for a couple of hands of pinochle and some TV then everyone retired for the evening. Breakfast at 7 a.m. more man food and off to the lodge for our day of hunting.

It was a cold morning with wind. Not ideal conditions for pheasant hunting with the dogs. The wind caused the birds to hold (stay on the ground) longer than they would normally and some I fear might have been over looked as we and the dogs walked past them. The ones that we flushed provided beauty, challenge, and surprise as they left cover and lifted off making a signature sound as they rose to escape our shot. A few were successful in their escape most were not. The dogs worked with skill and exuberance. A bit less exuberance as the day wore on.

I hunted with three others behind two dogs. A retriever and a pointer provided their masters with reason to be proud. There is something very cool about watching a dog on point as the retriever approaches to flush the bird. Then the shot, the picture etched in your memory of a pheasant framed against the central Oregon sky. The retriever then moves to its special skill, finding the downed bird and bringing it to the hunter. Jokes amongst the hunters about who had the better shot, who got surprised more by a bird flying up from a place inches beside you. A little rest on a hill side out of the wind with the field spread out before you.

The view and memory of men and dogs working together below you as you walk along a ridge above them. It is too bad that those things can’t be captured and replayed often. But if you could it would not be near so fragile or precious. These things must be experienced to be cherished. I am very thankful for the time spent with friends in pursuit of these birds. But I am most grateful for the opportunity to have experienced the adventure and the memories it provides.

Sawhorse revelation

I was talking to the Princess on the phone this afternoon and began to realize some things have changed. I know there is nothing new here that I shouldn’t have figured out long before now. At the time we were talking I have given myself permission to take a little break. I had just finished the biggest part of making some sawhorses.

Picture this: an old guy on a lawn chair in the backyard talking on the cell phone about how happy he is with the sawhorse. Oh my gosh, it hit me. I am an old guy with the most exciting thing in his life being a sawhorse. I don’t mean to make anyone else feel bad if you are now or have been that guy. I just think it highlights the change over the past several months.

Four months ago I was 30 seconds away from an adventure all the time. Every time the page or the call came I was so glad to roll. It would be some event that would involve things not just anyone would enjoy. It might be a little dangerous or it might take me to some place I had never been. It was always something I enjoyed.

Except for going to church Sunday and the Post Office every day, I haven’t left home this week. The weird part is I am enjoying the time at home. For a guy that used to consider myself the enemy of murders and thieves, I now consider myself to be a pretty good builder of sawhorses. Got to go the Princess is coming and I haven’t got the kitchen cleaned up. I have been outside too much to get the house work done.

I just like to walk around it

Sometimes I just like to go outside and walk around the trailer.  You know it is so nice to have a project done that you have been dreaming about for about a year.  On Saturday morning after I promised to keep off of the new pour 7 days, I brought the trailer home from Doug’s place.  I knew it was going to be easier to park in the new area.  I didn’t know how easy it would be.  I knew it was going to look like I had plenty of room, I didn’t know just how spacious it would look.  I do now and I am not disappointed at all.  In fact some times I just go outside to look at it.  Yes I know I said that already.  With all the slide outs out and the trailer setting about half on the new pour I can walk between the garage and the trailer with no problem.  It looks to me like I have about as much room as I used to have when I had the old trailer parked there without the new concrete.   Did I say how happy I am with this?

Fred and the gang did a great job and I can’t say enough about the help they gave me on the project.  Now it is on to the planning stage of the next project.  There must be another project in the works.  I will do some scheming on the next project but it is all about the deck in the backyard and the shed.  I will keep you posted on this one.

Its all good

As I looked out the window this morning I was able to see several things that seemed in conflict. The sun is shining but it was snowing at the same time. Not normally a big deal if you are living in Bend, Oregon. In the Willamette Valley that seems like something that would be a little different than normal.

The snow in light doses is beautiful. I always like seeing the sun shine. I am just not used to seeing snow and sunshine at the same time in this area.

I went downstairs to have some breakfast and found we are out of several of the things that I have come to use often for breakfast. Seemed like bad news at the time. Well I made pancakes again. I didn’t have any butter but found some chocolate chips to put into the pancakes. I like sweets and know I will be in trouble for raiding the chocolate but have decided to take the chance, get in a little trouble, in order to have the temporal enjoyment of the chocolate.

For a morning that I couldn’t find anything good for breakfast I sure made a good breakfast.

Then I went outside and looked at the new concrete. It is so nice to have the project finished but I have some work that needs to be done on the sides. I need to haul some dirt from the backyard to the edge of the concrete to finish the project. I want to put the trailer on the concrete but I have told Fred I would not until Saturday.

It seems like every time I get to the pay off in a project there is always some more that can be done. I don’t like the idea of moving more dirt with the wheel borough but I do like working outside at some project that I can see progress while doing it.

I haven’t gotten that first retirement check yet. I know it will come in its own time but waiting for it and seeing how the money is going is giving me a bunch more empathy for those friends and family I have that are in a work slow down or unemployed. Assuming empathy is a good thing not having the retirement check has been a good thing.

I am not all that sure having empathy isn’t a little over rated but then I say that with a little trepidation as that could be an invitation to obtain more opportunities to be empathetic.

The point is all the good and the bad seem to go on at the same time. And now, if I don’t curb this line of reasoning I will be guilty of slipping into a period of extreme introspection. That is a bad thing if you have work to do.

Ok I got that stopped in time. The best way to end this is to go outside and get after a project. Oh and the best way to be happy is to ignore the bad stuff if you can, most of it doesn’t last long anyway.