Fridays with Ollie

Fridays with Ollie are kind of like Tuesdays with Morrie only much happier.  Let's face it.. Ollie is darn cute too!  Sooooo.. with that being said..(or typed) .. I'd like to start posting some of my favorite pics of Mr. Bowser to make everyone's day just a tad bit brighter! 



Hello World!  Let's Play!



Nap Time....

Ollie and Best Friend, Bella!

Call me Monet!

Attention!  Attention! 
I have an important announcement.  

Last Thursday...I ventured out on a different career path.  That's right.  There is something new in store for this gal!  What was it?  I started out my new career.. as... a... Painter!  My first superb portrait is called Whimsical Fall!  It's okay.  You can be jealous of my mad art skills.

The Finished Masterpiece!

Now, I know this may come as a bit of a shock for those of you who know me (or routinely play draw something with me).  Yes, at times I can be the Queen of stick figures and four legged dogfoxcatbears.*  Just call me Queen Sticky!  Although, I'm usually Drawesome!  Woot! Woot!  (Sorry, I might have consumed a large soda before typing up this post.) 

On a serious note: I'm not quitting my day job yet, but I did really enjoy the experience as a whole.  Where did this miracle happen?  I'm glad you asked!  After stalking the website to Pinot's Palette for about two weeks, we finally decided on our first masterpiece.  After calling to interrogate them about what level of painter would really be successful, they convinced me to give it a try.  Yay!  I mean how can a gal go wrong with creating and wine?  And really, why didn't I think of this idea first!?  I'm sure that has nothing to do with my total lack of painting or drawing skills. 

So....After consuming a dainty margarita and a basket of chips, a couple of friends and I arrived and tied on our aprons.  As true participants, we ordered a bottle of Cupcake Moscato.  (Hey!  It's called Pinot's Palette.  If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it all the way!  Remember, when in Rome do as the Romans do!)  Next, we were pointed towards our little easels and mentally prepared for the task ahead.  (Or chatted and drank... whatever you do to prepare for something like this.)   

Luckily, there was an actual artist as the instructor.  This somehow made me feel a bit better, but just because you can paint well, doesn't mean this gal can!**  Then we began...I should let you know that they give you step-by-step instructions.*** Quite literally there were instructions like paint the bottom half yellow.  Add some red lines to the right side.  Start with the red leaves.  The instructor demonstrated each step for us.  Even though we were guided the whole way through, I still doubted at every step.  I kept thinking.. Hey!  You're lines look better than mine!  As you can see in the picture at the right, the pictures were looking pretty well the same.  I'm sure some therapist would have a heyday with my last couple lines.  Analyze away baby!

Anyway, I don't know if it was the wine or just the music and the company, I found my evening of painting quite enjoyable which was slightly surprising for me.  I had already told the ladies that if this picture came out like I thought it would, it would be my next Mother's Day Gift.  (Moms have to love what you make for them or at least they're really good at pretending.)  This is how the night went:  We painted.  We took a break.  We painted some more.  We took another break.  We painted yet again.  Guess what comes next?  A Break!  Who wouldn't love a schedule like that?  We used the small brush.  We used the big brush  We even mixed colors!****  In the end, I was looking at the masterpiece you see at the top of this post.  I feel like it's a great first picture.  I will warn you that like a Monet, it looks better from afar.  Up close and personal it gets a little messy.  Either way, I deemed it worthy of my walls.. at least until someone makes fun of it. :(  If you need a tutorial, just call.  I'm not sure if I can paint anything else or at least not until my next class, but I'm all over Whimsical Fall!   
   
*This is my new word for four legged animals that look a bit like the following animals: dogs, foxes, cats or bears. Unfortunately, it doesn't look enough like any one of these animals to make a clear call. This is where the letters come in quite handy!  Come on.. You know what I'm talking about!

**I want to clarify that just because I'm not a painter, does not mean that I'm not artsy!  I knit.  I bead.  I decorate bachelor party cakes. (Don't ask!) I'm crafty darn it!

***I should let you know I had an extreme moment of laziness right here.  I actually took a moment or two to decide if I was going to backspace to type the -'s in step-by-step.  Seriously.  Sad, I know.

****More asterisks!  I felt like we needed just one more footnote. Or for my data interp friends... I felt like we needed more 'little flowers'. 

Me? An Overachiever????

Let me first apologize for my lack of posting lately.  There seems to be a severe lack of free time in mid April.  Every year about this time, I ask myself... Why?  Why did I think I could do all of this?  Why did I think I was superwoman?  What was I thinking exactly?  And... did I do this last year?!?

Yes folks... as an....overachiever....(yes, you read right!)..I always cram my spring full of activities.  Too full of activities really!  In true fashion, I did it again this spring!  It's like I forget the pain and stress as the year passes.  Then I think.. let's do it again!  I did it last spring!  It worked!   Uuuummmm... wrong.  It didn't work and I believe I swore I would never do it again.  Yet... somehow.. here I am! 

Warning: The next section is not for the faint of heart.  Please do not continue reading if you have a heart condition, may be pregnant or faint easily. 

Side effects may include exhaustion, headache, teeth grinding, blurred vision, crying and anger issues. 

Now that the warning is out of the way, let's begin!  I like to start filling my schedule with the normal forty hour work week.  Yes, I like to eat, use the internet and watch cable... so forty hours it is!  Then I like to add some classes on top of it... teaching and taking.  That's right.  I can't just have one T.  I want two T's!  Give them to me!  Taking wise... This semester I signed us (me and part of my 4hort) up for a mere three classes.  Who can't handle three classes while working forty hours?  On top of which, I thought I would teach a few classes.  Soo... I might have... maybe not.... probably so.. agreed to teach three classes as well.  Yikes!  I can't help it!  As an adjunct I feel like I beg for classes.  I'm always afraid to turn them down.  They may not ask you next time! 

Man.... It looks bad just typing it out!  And, if that wasn't enough I like to add extra curricular activities and travel on top.  Let's throw in some house projects and lawn care to boot.  Mmmmmm Hmmmm... overachiever! 

The point being folks... I'm a tad bit swamped at the moment.  Give me a week or so... and I'll be back to blogging like my good ole self.  In the meantime, feel free to help me grade or revise my paper!

You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog...

Who doesn't love a basset hound?  (If your answer was me, this is not your post!  Heck, it's probably not even your blog!)  This week I read a story about a super cool Basset Hound.  Why was he so cool you ask?  Good question!  He's super cool because he dialed 9-9-9.  I know what you're thinking... "What number is that?"  That, my friends, would be the 9-1-1 for the UK.  Take a moment.  That's right!  This Basset called for help!

Short story: After the phone had been knocked off the table, the Basset became entangled in the cord.  (Yes, a phone with a cord.  They do still exist.)  As he tried to free himself, the cord became tighter and tighter choking the Basset Hound.  As he was trying to escape, he dialed 9-9-9.  They dispatched police when all they could hear was heavy breathing.  To their surprise, it wasn't a person but a Basset Hound.  They freed the Basset Hound and the story ends Happily Ever After!  Or something like that...  His name is George and just look at his little face! 

Totally unfounded side note:  I personally believe it was an evil kitty that knocked the dangerous phone off the stand in the first place! 

If you're interested in reading more of the story, I'll attach the link.  You're welcome!  George's Full Story!

 

My Basset.. Mr. Oliver Bowser!

Although my basset hasn't yet dialed 9-1-1, he is pretty darn awesome!  In his defense, I no longer have a phone with a cord.  He won't be in that choking situation any time soon.  I rescued Oliver from the Humane Society a little over three years ago.  Honestly, I couldn't have gotten any luckier!  He's a great dog!  He's full of spunk and character.  And like all Basset Hounds, he is definitely a lover!  Just look at his little face!  (Although he doesn't like having his picture taken.  Perhaps he's been hounded too much by the paparazzi in his past??)

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of owning a Basset Hound, there are a couple things you should know about them.  Yes, of course they have the sad eyes and plenty of wrinkles.  It is one of the many reasons that we love them.  But they're a whole bunch more!  They're very loyal animals and extremely tolerant.  I'm pretty sure I've used Oliver as a pillow once or twice.  And Yes, they take some naps.  Let's face it.. who wouldn't nap daily if they had the time???  Don't let those naps fool you, they can run and fast when the opportunity presents itself!  Especially if a treat is involved in the act...   

If you do own a basset, you're in good company!  Take a look at some of the other super cool folks that own Basset Hounds:



Marilyn had a basset hound too!

The "King" had a basset hound! 

What did you think all those songs were about?? 







Columbo and his Basset Hound!



Clint Eastwood and his Basset Hound,
Sidney the Kidney!



Other famous folks who own bassets include: Emperor Napoleon III, George Washington, Candice Bergen, Dick Chaney, and Shakira to name a few!  Even the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has a Basset!  In addition there are many famous Basset Hounds!  I've included a link to a whole list of famous Basset Hounds I found posted on another blog! (Jowls of Fury is the blogs name.  Don't let it fool you!  Bassets are love dogs.)   

List of Famous Bassets

I fought the lawn and.. the lawn won!

Ding! Ding!  Round 2
Winner: The Lawn

Reminder:  I've sprayed the weeds as directed by the ever helpful Home Depot specialist and waited two days before mowing.  I'm not really sure if my spraying technique was flawed or those weeds popped up after spraying.  Either way, they aren't all dead.  Boo!

The moment I've been dreading is finally here.  It's time to tackle the backyard.  Since I haven't pulled out the lawnmower since last year, there is always that moment of... is it going to start?  I'm sure you'll find this hard to believe but I might not keep the best care of my lawnmower.  It's not that I don't want to pamper my lawnmower, I'm just not fully aware of how to do it.  In my hectic schedule, it hasn't been top priority for me to learn.  Feel free to school me on mower pampering.  After pulling the mower out, I remembered that I needed to go get 'new' gas.  (Yes, I realize there are worse things then driving to the gas station to get some gas; however, if you don't want to do the activity, it seems like a mountain!)

Pulled out mower: Check!
Bought new gas: Check!
Checked the oil: A little low, but I'm going for it! 

To my surprise, the lawn mower started right up.  Let the mowing begin!  It was a slow start to say the least.  Why exactly are weeds just so wet again?  It was a slow process of forward 12".. back 6"....  Why you ask?  Because the weeds were that high and that wet!  I know.  Perhaps I should have jumped on this lawn mowing thing before today.  How was I suppose to know that it was going to rain all week and the weeds would shoot up ten feet?!?  And realize in advance I would have almost every night booked the following week!?  Either way, I'm now dealing with it.  After mowing for over an hour, I came upon a hidden stick.  You have to love the first mow of the season.  There are all these little hidden surprises underneath.  In fairness, I did go through the lawn and try to pick up the sticks, etc.  Apparently a couple got away from me and found their way into the mower!  After running over the third little surprise, the mower stopped and smoked a little.  I do realize that smoke is never a good sign.  I looked over the lawnmower and didn't see anything too huge; however, it didn't start back up.  I guess my mowing is done for now!  And only half of the backyard is finished.  The lawn is the winner. 

Ding! Ding! Round 3
Winner: Me!

After letting the mower sit all night, I added more gas and more oil.  Strangely, I had some oil in my garage.  Go me!  The mower started right up.  So I began again with the 12" forward... 6" back technique.  That's what I get for waiting so long!  Don't believe me?  Take a look at what I was up against! (See picture to the left!)

Please don't share this picture with my dad.  I've had the lawn mowing lecture before!



In addition, Bella thought she would help me out with the mowing.  She so nicely barked at the vicious lawnmower and save me from it.  Ever try to move through too tall weeds and grass while a dog barks at you the entire time?  It just makes a delightful task oh so much more fun!  Here is a picture of Bella 'protecting' me: (See picture just above to the right!)

Needless to say, after mowing another hour I have officially finished the backyard!  Finally I'm the winner!

Ding! Ding! Round 4
Winner: The Lawn

Now that I have finished the backyard, I'm moving on to the front yard!  After adding more gas, I started back up quickly finishing the little side strip next to the garage.  I'm sure my neighbor fully appreciated me not bagging my clippings and my leaf mulching technique.  The lady at home depot did tell me to mulch the clippings back on after spraying.  I was just following orders!

Next I moved over to the main part of the yard.  I like to play this game while mowing the yard called Pattern Making!  I mow in different patterns trying to see what kind of fun effects I can produce.  I started off with the shrinking square pattern.  I made it around three sides before the mower began to smoke again!  What is it?  The front lawn isn't even that high!  Of course, I took this as a clear sign that lawn mowing was done for Sunday.  I pushed it back into the backyard and took the dogs for a walk instead.  I hope my neighbors like the giant C I mowed into my lawn!

For those of you who haven't been keeping track, let me help you out.  The Lawn: 3 Me: 1  It looks like the Odds are not ever in my favor on this issue! 

And what was Oliver doing during this entire time: (See picture to the right again!)  The mower is just too darn noisey for Oliver Bowser.  Instead he just watches out the window at me messing with his backyard.  The moment I'm finished he rushes out to inspect!