I See Stoopid People

Yes, they are everywhere, sometimes even in the mirror. 

I made the mistake of going to Rapid with Barb the other day. As we were driving down the driveway, she was almost giddy saying that she felt like a new mother getting some time to herself for the first time in months. We were gone for roughly 6 hours with Maisie in her crate and she did not have an accident. We put a camera on her and checked on her a few times. She was either sleeping, chewing on her toy or just lying there looking around. 

It has been a while since I've been to town. For two reasons really. One is that Barb cherishes her alone time and going to Rapid is about the only time she gets it. And two, I really so not like going to "the big city" way too many stupid people. Most of you will laugh as our "big city" is all of 60,000 people. This trip was a good reminder of why I should stay home and live in my bubble. From Menards to Walmart to Sam's there are stupid people everywhere! One cannot help but wonder when some of these people were conceived, that the one that fertilized that egg was the best of the group?!?! Lord help us. 

Sometimes I too am one of those stupid people. Like the time I put the wrong ball on the truck and had the trailer come off the hitch or the numerous other examples I could provide. The older I get the more I realize, I am less tolerant and I am better off leaving the Rapid trips to Barb.

But I had a trailer full of material to pick up at Menards so away I went. We got out again on Friday when we went to Queen of Hearts at the VFW in Custer. It was up to $86,000 and we were going to win it! With only 7 cards left someone is going to win very soon, we may as well put in our $20 for a chance at winning. The bad news is that neither we, Dan or Bonnie nor Merril and Vicki were drawn. The good news is that the person who was drawn did not pick the right card so this week should be north of $100,000! 

 Barb has been busy as ever working inside and out. She painted one wall in the upper bedroom. Once that was done, she broke out the new bedding, pillows and whatever you call those things she put at the foot of the bed. 

She made a couple of floating shelves out of some live-edge redwood, but it was too red and she did not like them against the green wall. "Looks too Christmasy", she said. You will likely see them somewhere else in the future. Oh, but she's not done yet, she has plans to make a headboard out of scrap wood which will no doubt be featured in a future post. 

She also finished another project she has been working on. All made out of one 8' 2x6. She cut the parts, beat them up with a hatchet and hammer to distress them, stained them and put it together......

A quilt ladder!

It too is now in the upper bedroom and is adorned with a quilt that DeAnne made for us (bottom) and another one that Nancy made (top).

Then it was off to put the final touches on "Dog jail". Life is always giving us lessons, and we learned another one this week when Barb went out there with the girls only to find a bunny had made its way into "jail". Then the show was on! Two frenzied Frenchies chasing a terrified bunny as it pinballed off the fence. Then Grandma Barb chasing all three. What a sh#tshow! I wish we had a camera out there. Then one time the bunny hit the fence but did not pinball off, its head got stuck in the fence! 

Fighting off two Frenchies with one hand, Barb grabbed the rabbit by the scruff with the other, gave it a yank popping it free and tossed it over the fence! Zoey immediately started digging at the base of the fence so Barb grabbed her and took everyone into the house. Once both dogs were secured inside, she went back out to see how the rabbit got in and found a spot where the rabbit had dug under the fence. Now, that area is lined with rocks to prevent bunnies from digging in. 

The nice thing about this new jail is that it encompasses the sliding door and extends out to the trees giving the dogs a lot more room. It also allows Barb to leave the door open so the girls can go out by themselves. This has really helped with potty training. The downside it that we get a few flies and "murder hornets" in each day. A small price to pay for the convenience. She has now ordered a doggie door that will allow the door to stay closed and keep the bugs out. 

Now, we will look out and just see the dogs lazing out on the concrete soaking up the sun. We have since removed the solar lights in the picture below and put them on the other side of the fence as Maisie thinks it is fun to pick them up and carry them around. 

What other trouble has Maisie gotten into you ask? Well, do not leave a sock or shoe laying around as it will soon be chewed on. Can anyone guess what this is?

That would be the end of a coyote tail from a pelt we had hanging in the corner. Apparently too low. She was enthralled with it a couple weeks ago, she would jump at it but was too small to actually reach it. Well, guess what? She grew! And now I have a coyote pelt with s shorter tail!

Luckily, the fox pelt that Nancy sent us is out of reach. The coyote is now draped over the railing for now, and I might move the fox up a couple more inches just in case. Writing this blog got me to thinking more about Nancy. Here is a woman who we have never met, only through our blogs and we have several of her quilts and a fox pelt she had in storage and said would be the perfect addition to our house. She was right! It really gives me a warm feeling knowing there are such good people out there in the world. 

Here is another "Maisieism" quirk. She will only eat out of the right side of her food dish. How weird is that?!?!

For my part, I have been working on soffit on the new garage. I have been putting this off for quite a while and it is time to get it done. Not the easiest with a bum wing, but I am slowly making progress.  Currently, I have three sides done, with luck I will finish the last side today and start on the facia.  

Wednesday night marked a big day of the year, the NFL opener. While we have no affiliation with either team, we went with the Seahawks and Maisie had her first cheerleading session! As you can see, she fits right in with Zoey and their cousin Sophie! (They are on another one of Nancy's quilts by the way)

Friday night it was back to the Queen of Hearts! It was up to $98,000 and no one won again. We still have a chance!

We also took delivery of the doggie door on Friday and got that installed. Now we just have to teach the little ones to use the door and Dakota NOT to use the door. She still has to go through the larger door. Maisie took to it like she knew about doggie doors forever. Zoey was a little more of a challenge. She did not want to go through it. She would not do it on her own but would follow Maisie through. This morning I let Zoey out by herself and when she was ready to come in, I just left her out there to see what she would do. She nosed the door a few times, pawed at it and it flapped each time, but she did not go through. After about 3 minutes of staring at it, she finally lowered her head and came in. Now, if we can just get her to do that to go outside when she needs to. 

This should keep the flies and bees to a minimum while allowing us to not focus on where the little one is at all times. Let's hope the local skunk does not know how to use it, could you imagine?!?!?

Tomorrow is another big day as we have some guests coming over for the Vikings/Packers game. Barb, the sole Packer fan will be outnumbered by myself, Dan, Bonnie, Ryan and Alana. Sophie will no doubt be adorned in Vikings purple while I am sure Maisie and Zoey will be in green and gold. With 5 dogs and 6 people we are hoping for some nice weather so we can watch it outside. With luck there might even be a video or two for you next week!