A hunting we will go....

I told Cuddle Buns when we got Rudy that he could be a hunting dog. He knows the commands COME and SIT if he thinks there might be treats involved. (Rudy knows them, not Cuddle Buns.) I'm not sure what else he'll need to know before he goes out with Elmer and his brothers Elmer where they carry guns and blend in with the landscape. I'm thinking SLEEP would be a good one to know.

His Auntie Donna brought him some hunting gear yesterday, although he has a bit of room to grow in it. That's fine, because I don't think I'll really let him go hunting until he is at least 10. I probably should get him a bright orange collar, too.



Rudy has another Auntie Donna who gave him a present when we saw her on our way back into town from Iowa.



Every dog should have his own tire.
Now he'll be ready for our trip to Iowa next year as we pass through Oakland. (Iowa)



I have no idea what GH A6 is. I think you'd need to know more about tractor pulls than I do. At least those in Oakland, Iowa.

What a wasted Wednesday

Apparently, the bad economy has really hit downtown Houston hard. My dear son and The Zoe and I took a trip to the Aquarium this afternoon. We usually all have a great meal and a good time riding the train and playing in the water. Gracious. Things have changed. The restaurant, in an attempt to cut costs, is now only displaying fake fish.

Shoot. The mechanical scarey shark wasn't even working.


CUDDLE BUNS: PLEASE READ NO FURTHER

OK...We did go to the Aquarium, had a great meal, Zoe had fun watching the fish and naming them after family members, and we did ride the train.






Cuddle Buns just sounded so....so pathetic when he found out where we were. So I didn't want him to think he had missed anything, and since he's the only one I know of who regularly reads Rudy's blog, I thought I'd make stuff up about a terrible time.

Honey, I know you're still reading: The mechanical shark was not working. For real. It was a wasted trip.

PS

How much fiber fill does it take to stuff one monkey??!! It keeps popping up everywhere!

He's Gone Savage!

I came out of the shower last night to find that Funky Monkey...a dog toy with a past to begin with...had been mauled. It wasn't pretty.

Funky Monkey was torn limb from limb.

His innerds were all over the kitchen floor.

Please-no comments about the dirt and dust mingling with the monkey guts.

When in Rome...

In just a few weeks Cuddle Buns and I, along with his 2 brothers and their wives, will be jetting to Ireland for "The Anniversary Tour". His little brother, known to many of you due to the fact that he is on the no fly list and has probably held up your flights on occasion while the authorities read the letter he must carry stating he does not belong to any group despite having a good, strong Catholic name, thinks he is 100% Irish. Even though his mother is NOT. (I know. She told me.) Get a couple beers in him, and his Irish brogue couldn't be picked out in a pub lineup.

ANYWAY, he has planned this trip for us. (I love traveling when I don't have to make any real decisions.) He and his wife, who have made trips to Ireland a time or two, have found the church that the grandparents attended. There the six of us will be renewing our vows. To our respective spouses, not to the family in general, which I would NEVER do having attended nearly every family reunion for 30+ years and have still lived to tell the stories. (Not that I don't love you guys....just saying.) Why this year? It is a monumental year. Cuddle Buns little bro and wife have been married 30 years. We have been married in perfect bliss for 35 years. Older bro and wife for 40 years. (Can these guys plan it, or what???)

In anticipation of cooler weather, I have been knitting up a storm. I have finished the actual knitting on The Rogue Hoodie for me (just need to do the blocking and seaming) and have now started on the Iain Sweater for Cuddle Buns. I'm knitting it from Eco Wool from Cascade, for you fiber lovers out there who love the smell of sheep when they knit. (Hope it doesn't rain while Cuddle Buns is wearing it. He'll be warm and dry but will stink of the sheep pens.)

I've made a little headway on it since I've been back. Rudy has been helping.

PS...The guys had an older brother who passed away 13 years ago. If he were still with us, he and his wife would have been married 45 years this year. Cuddle Bun's mom says that says a lot about the men-folk in the family. We think it has more to do with the women they married.

We miss you Tom!

Re-entry...

I'm having a hard time getting motivated. Can't unpack. My suitcase has been repurposed.

Plus, The Zoe is here with Elmo Giant.

So, the list of things I think I SHOULD do has been shoved under the clean laundry to be put away.

I had someone ask me on Monday if I had the feeling that I should be somewhere when the teachers all go back to school. I didn't even know they HAD gone back to school. Poor things.

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There's no place like home, there's no place like home.