The Hobbit in the cave

Well our "guest" has emerged a few times from her hole to talk with us. She is in day 3 of fasting and is planning a few more days before she starts on some food again. My only request is that she showers, and she has been doing that fairly regularly.

I waxed my lower legs today. That was a sticky experience. It worked fairly well and wasn't horribly painful, but the wax goes everywhere and you stick to everything for a while. I also did Greyson's back and his hobbit feet. He thought it was pretty neat.

Like Greyson said, I found my wedding ring after 4 years of being lost. It was down behind the glove compartment where you would never think to look. But the other day I was wasting some time in my car waiting for someone when I decided to clean out the car. I finished with all the obvious areas and then decided for some reason to stick my fingers behind the glove box. And what felt like a roll of tape turned out to be the box that we had kept the ring in, and inside: the missing ring. I was extremely happy to see it.

All my animals are good. Miles is sweet and funny. Ada is very good with him. Quark likes to play with his brother. The hummingbirds are insane and empty the feeder in about half a day.

I leave on Thursday and will be gone for 2 weeks, then Greyson and I will go on vacation for a week. We are now thinking about going to Hells Canyon and maybe up to Jasper Canada. We might rent a pop-up tent trailer if our car will pull it. Otherwise we are not sure how we will do this vacation (camping, hotel, or what???).

-Mel

New fun toy

With the new kitten in the house we decided to get a new training tool for Ada in the form of a manual shock coller. It is like the one Brian had for Brody but this one seems easy to work. We had it on the lowest possible setting and Ada gave a small yelp the first time Greyson used it. She is pretty wimpy. We got it for training her not to attack cats but she has been so good about Miles that she doesn't get much correcting about him. However we did have a good training session over a piece of jerky I left on the table. She would slowly go in for the jerky, I would zap her right before she got to it and she would step back. We repeated this process about 5 times until she finally gave up. What is nice is that she doesn't know that we humans are the cause of her pain.

So Lindy be warned. There will be no more running through my flower beds anymore. If she can't get the concept of "get out of the flower beds" we will have to get strick with her. We have our tools and we aren't afraid to use them. Some may think it is cruel but I am finding that for some things it is the only way that works.

Kittens and Cruises

You must read the post below this before continuing!

Did you read it? Really? Ok, now you can read.

Yes, by the picture below you can see that our family is one member larger. We are the proud parents of a bouncy orange kitten by the name of Miles (we think) or Jones. Miles or Jones is a typical kitten, wild then loving, noisy then quiet and always cute. Ada was completely obsessed with him the first night but has since relaxed and is getting along well with the kitten. Quark seems to also really like the kitten when he is in the mood.

But enough about kittens, I do have more to my life then pets. I have been working out at Bonneville Dam. But by working what I really mean is I sit all day and watch two people who watch a computer screen. It can't get much more exciting than that. I am heading to Lower Monumental dam next Thursday for 2 weeks. Then Greyson and I are going on a semi-real vacation for a week to use up my holiday hours leftover. We don't have much money so it will likely be a camping trip. We are talking about going up to the Olympic peninsula or Canada (or both). We are open to any suggestions that you all may have (but that would require that you write on the blog and we all know how you don't do that).

Then when we get back Greyson's parents are coming with there new camper for a visit. They have also just invited us to go on a cruise the second week in December. They booked us an awesome suite on the very top level of the ship next to the pool. We are leaving out of New Orleans and hitting ports in Mexico and Belize and somewhere else in that area. With temps in the 70s and 80s during that time it should be awesome.

I went down to the garden to snip some catnip. What I found was an ocean of waste high weeds. Only the strawberries, which I had weeded 3 weeks ago, was looking like a garden. If they get some sun they should be great this year. I think gardening would be very calming for someone that is fasting.

I am writing one of those run on posting, which is what happens when you don't post enough, so I will finish and try to post more often. You all try to do the same. If you don't I may start signing you up for email spam.

I feel soooooooo ooooooo lonely

I am starting to think that I am no longer loved. All I get these days is a brief request for housing every month or so. If you all don't start writing I am going to cut you off, from my house and my love. And I don't take the excuse that you are too busy. You can always find time. I am getting sick and tired of having to talk to you all about this. If you all aren't responsible enough to carry your load then I am just going to close the blog down and make you all go back to unwilling. Only I won't respond to those. I will make you write letters!! And I know for a fact that many of you don't know how to use a pen any more. I might as well move to another country for all you would care.

This is your last warning.

Quark and Miles- aren't they cute?

Fasting

I'm going on a fast. I did it once in Wilsonville and said I'd never do it again. But for spiritual reasonings...tim says I'm cheating at our diet contest...I need a secluded place for about 7-11 days. Secluded like a bedroom where no-one will mind me staying in, and trees and creeks nearby. No children's voices. Remember you won't have to feed me or visit with me. Just endure my moaning and cries for chocolate and cheese and peanut butter and steak and other sustanance. I'll bring all the juice and stuff I need. Tim said the last part of May and first part of June works for him being a full time Dad who actually feeds his kids and does the dishes and laundry.

So it's this bittersweet kind of vacation I guess. Anyone willing to have me as a half=guest?

possible kitten choice, what do you think?

Kalena Marie Dean

Greyson agreed to a cat

Yes, I finally got Greyson to give the OK on a cat. I found a couple of cats I was interested in but when I called the humane society they told me with my situation that I would be much, much better off getting a kitten with the whole Ada thing. It is just too hard to bring an adult cat into a household with a big, young dog. Of course they don't have any in right now but she said they would be swamped with them in the next month. SO I will be on the lookout for just the right one. I have decided that we will stay a one dog family for the foreseeable future.

Hummingbird Haven

The hummers are swarming. During prime hours we have about 8 birds that vie for the back feeder and another 4 in competition for the front feeder. I sent Greyson out to get me one more feeder so we can avoid all the bickering that is going on.

My chicks are growing very quickly. Someone has even started laying. I found a small but perfect egg in the coup today. We should be rolling in eggs soon enough. The sun is scheduled to come out tomorrow, it will be none to soon. I am sick of the rain and dismal days. If it is sunny I might take Pooey for a mountain bike ride tomorrow. On the ride up, she perches on the handelbars while I pedal, and than we swap spots on the way down.

Has your garden recovered at all dad? Or has Charlie taken on the challange of keeping up the level of distruction that the 4 dogs were supplying?

-Mel

Melanie's Update

Well Greyson and I went to my HSG (internal die contrast thing) test this morning. Everything looked normal so that is good.

I got a new short term project that I will be doing for the next couple weeks here at Bonneville Dam. I will be helping some University of Maryland folk that are studying the effects of barging salmonid smolts on there hearing (temp. loss or perm. damage) and the confusiono r disorrientation that may come from that. I will probably just be disposing of bodies and taking down data since I am not experienced at disecting fish ear's. As you can imagine it is fairly delicate work. After that is over I may be heading to the East coast for a 2 week Turb 'n tag job.

Greyson's parents invited us down for a Thanksgiving cruise this year. I think they are inviting all of their immediate family so that would be fun if they all came. I will have check what the bahamas are like in November, but I know it will have to be better then a Washington November.

I think that is all the news. It was good to see the Porters and the Sharp's for Mother's day. Oh, and I almost forgot, this coming weekend that I said you were all not invited to come to my house so I can relax for a bit, I now probably have to work all weekend anyway.

Sharp Family Blog: Mothers' Day

If anyone is interested in picking up a cord of wood from my driveway, be my guest.

Mothers' Day

Is there anyone out there planning to visit her mother this weekend? Just wondering since its Mothers' Day and all. No pressure. Yes, I know I didn't visit all of you last weekend. Just wondering. Just missing everyone - the children from my womb and those wonderful men they chose to marry. No pressure, though, of course. Just feeling all lonely here. But, please, don't feel any presssure.

Mom

Sisters

Kalena Marie Dean

Dean Sisters

Kalena Marie Dean