How To Hike in Brown County

After being cooped up in the house all last weekend, I couldn't spend another full day in the house. So on Saturday Al and I headed down to Brown County for some time out of the house! The leaves are so beautiful this time of year that I would go just to see them. But, I knew I couldn't get Alex to drive an hour fifteen to see changing leaves. Therefore, I threw in the idea of hiking.

Once there, we swerved and curved and peaked and valleyed until we reached the Brown County State Park. We drove through a good portion of the park until we reached the nature center. I was lured there with the promise of turtles, birds, and other wildlife. I expected the wildlife to be live, but most of it was stuffed. Besides a little area to watch birds and a snake, everything else was a decade or two old and not alive. We were there for 5 minutes before heading for the trail.

The trail started off downhill and wound around and around. We reached a huge staircase that we would eventually have to climb back up, but I was determined to get to the lake at the bottom. We continued to the bottom, where a serene lake waited. We stopped for a break before making the lap around the lake.

through the trees

the lake

whoa belly!

We lapped the lake and rested a bit before heading uphill. I knew that we'd eventually have to trek those stairs, so we paced ourselves. Uphill and pregnant is not fun...trust me! Here are the stairs from the bottom (left) and midway up (right):

Boy was it rough! However, not much longer and we were finished. Both of us were tired from the hike and ready to get home. We took a different home, which happened to take us right by the Edinburgh outlet mall. After a short bit of time at the Adidas (Alex) and Motherhood Maternity (Amber) stores, we hopped back on the interstate. With a short stop at a Whiteland apple orchard (I would not recommend), we were home by 6. All in all we had a nice day together and got some exercise in! If you do have a chance, get to Brown County before the leaves are all gone!

Happy Hiking!
--Am

How To Increase Your Furry Family

A little over a year ago, we decided it was time that Daisie get a playmate. I spent much of my downtime searching through petfinder for the most perfect companion. We knew we didn't want a puppy (no time to train it), so we looked for one that was young, but not a pup. We found one that looked like a beagle mix. I really struggled about if she were the one because she hadn't been fixed yet and not sure how Daisie would be with another girl. It must not have been right because we held off too long and someone else snatched her up. I did however find Chunky Monkey ("Chunky").

There were lots of puppy pics up and very few current pics up. I thought he was so cute as a puppy that he had to be cute as an adult. Alex didn't quite think so. He was very hesitant, but I pushed and pushed until he said we could check him out. Chunky was currently with a family that was finding him a little harder to handle than they had hoped. I talked a little with the original foster mom and some with the current family. We found out that he would fit in just fine, so we established a time for him to meet Daisie. I remember it like it was yesterday!

We got lost going out there and were about 15 minutes late to our meeting. Alex was already not happy with me and I was really nervous. When we finally made it, we saw Chunky and knew that it would be perfect. He looked like he belonged. He was super friendly with us, but we wanted Daisie to be happy as well. They both sniffed each other and decided that they could friends. The family asked if we wanted to take him home for the weekend, but we thought we should wait it out. Yeah right! That lasted 15 seconds. We decided we would take him home for the weekend and see how it would go. The Storey's were very generous and gave us everything they had for him (Thank You!). We took him home and he's been a Markov ever since! 

We immediately changed his name to Dodger (he was too thin for a Chunky Monkey). We had to work on some chewing issues and running away, but we eventually got there. He is such a fantastic dog and loverboy. During the day he wants to play and be everyone's friend, but at night, he wants to cuddle and be as close to you as possible. Unlike Daisie who gives big, wet kisses, Dodger gives short, sandpaper kisses. He's such a sweet boy and we couldn't have asked for more. 

dodger hoping he gets a treat

i love my new friend! Dodger (left) and Daisie tuckered out from the cabin

I hope everyone out there has a dog as sweet and fun as ours! Oh and I considered him a rescue because he was going to go back into foster care. Please save a life and not buy!

Happy Rescuing!

--Am

How To Knock on Wood

Ever since Al and I got our second dog, Dodger, we decided we needed a fence. We were able to train Daisie from running away, but not Dodger. He loves people and other dogs, so if he sees one, he's a goner. We got him May of 2010 (or was it June?). And then when we got Diego (January 2011), we really decided we needed a fence. We hated tying them up, and it made me quite nervous waiting to see if Dodger was going to bolt. So, we sent in the proposal for a fence to our HOA and got started on the fence. Of course we called 811 (call before you dig) to make sure we wouldn't be hitting anything, and we waited the standard 30 days for the HOA to approve.

Al thought it would take a day to put in the posts and another day to put up the braces and the panels. Boy was he mistaken! The one-man auger rented from Home Depot did not do the trick. He spent forever on one post before he called in some reinforcements (our neighbor, Bruce). With his help, they were able to put up seven posts (of 32) in a span of 4 hours. Our ground is a rocky, clay substance that made it difficult to tap into. Al was beat. You could see the look of frustration on his face. He thought about renting a two-man auger, but found something better. Through the help of my dad, his buddy had someone come to the house with a bobcat and a much needed post-hole-digging attachment. WOOHOO!! The posts were dug and set in concrete in less than a day thanks to Steve and my dad (and of course the HARD work of my wonderful man).

On the weekend following, we ventured the cabin for some fun, but came home to a task that had to start as soon as we go home (which was 9:00 pm). At 10:00 pm on Saturday, Al began assembling the gate. Circular saw a-going and everything. I thought we would have had a violation of noise ordinance filed against us, but nothing yet! On Sunday, we were thankful enough to have friends over to help with the fence (and teach me the inner workings of my sewing machine). With the help of Regan, Al got one side of the fence completed. Not the whole thing like he was hoping, but it was all braced and 1/3 completed. Over the next couple of days, he was able to get the remaining sides up and we've been enjoying it ever since!!  

 dodger enjoying the fence

 al standing against his creation

 view from the outside

 my soon-to-be food producer 

 

tiki torch - first time used in 3 years

 thank you card and gift for Steve

I want to give a BIG shout out to my wonderful husband for all of his work on this. Not only did I get a sturdy fence, but I also got a snazzy garden spot! Thanks babe...you're the best!!

Happy Fencing!

--Am

How To Mend a Dog-Ripped Comforter

Last night, I had every intention of manicuring my nails. One home from work, I immediately traveled upstairs to change out of my work clothes into something more comfortable. However, what do I notice on the floor by the bed? The comforter. And what do I see hanging out of it and thrown all over the floor? The stuffing. Damnit! Dodger likes to chew and when you've been gone too long for his liking or during a time when you should be home, he finds something to take it out on. Yesterday, it was the comforter. Here's the damage:

 ripped comforter

the culprit

After dinner, instead of manicuring my nails, I grabbed my sewing kit and got to mending. I learned three things from this. First, this would have been a whole lot easier if I had a sewing machine. Let me rephrase. It would be a whole lot easier if I had a WORKING sewing machine. We have two. One is a janky hand-held machine that jams after two stitches. The other machine would be great, but we don't have the power cord for it. We have everything else, but no dang power source. Therefore, I was forced to sew by hand. Second thing I learned was that when mending by hand, I should work in shorter pieces. Not knowing any better, I cut off too long a piece of thread. That was dumb! It kept knotting and tangling and twisting and knotting again. It was a vicious cycle! Next time I will work in shorter pieces to prevent the knotting, tangling, and twisting. The final thing I learned was that this takes forever (or that I'm extremely slow). I'm probably really slow because it took me two episodes, sans commercials, of Criminal Minds (thank you Netflix). 

see the string hanging toward the left?

sorry about my face!

the mended result

Good thing this was on the back of the comforter because it doesn't look pretty! But, hey, as long as it keeps the stuffing in there, I don't care. I'm just thankful it was repairable because I didn't want to buy another one only to have it ruined. 

Happy Mending!

--Am

How To Adopt Furry Family Members

In the post How To Be a Lover of Animals, I gave some backstory on our one and only cat, Hallie. Since we did very little this weekend and spent most of the time yelling at our dogs, I thought I'd give some backstory. Here's all you need to know about our eldest: Daisie.

 Daisie as a puppy, approx 3 months

Daisie today at 2 1/2 years

After I moved into the house and Alex was over a lot, he decided it was time I got a dog. He did a lot of the research and would constantly send me pictures of dogs. I specifically remember getting the picture of Daisie (who was actually named Ashley) and thinking she was like a little cub, furry and cute. It took a lot of convincing, especially since I was working a ton and I was worried about Hallie's feelings, but he finally got me to accept. He found her on petfinder.com, and she was the last of a litter of eight to be adopted. She was born in November and the runt, which I hear are the best! She was rescued by a group called Heart for Dog Rescue, and put into a foster home. I remember it was February 5, 2009, and Alex and I were going to meet her. The foster parents were super nice, and Daisie/Ashley was just so adorable! We took her home that evening. One look was all it took. On our way back home, we were throwing out different names. I have this obsession with names and with my female pet names ending in "ie." We went through everything, Rubie, Goldie, Blondie, Pansie, until Daisie. 

She was such an adorable little pup-pup that it was hard not to fall fast for her! We took her to the vet for all her checkups and everything was going smoothly until one day. She began acting lethargic and stopped eating/drinking, so we started to get a little worried. We called our vet friend in a panic and she suggested that if she didn't get back to normal after trying a few things, then we should take her to the animal clinic. Well, we freaked and took to the animal clinic. $300 later, we find out she has parvo (fatal in 80% of dogs) and has to have a sack of fluids put under her skin, so she doesn't get dehydrated. We could've left her there for observation or taken her home. We chose the latter. We cried on the way home and spent as much time with her at night. The next morning she was still a little slow moving and not ingesting anything, so I ran out to the store and grabbed some popsicles, hoping she'd eat them. Not only did she eat the popsicles, but she also ate some eggs and rice. She was getting back to normal and had survived the parvo scare!

    

where's that coming from?

As she was growing up, Alex was able to watch and train her during the days I was at work, and a friend would let her out on days neither one of us could. Alex spent a lot of time with her, which probably explains her codependency and obsession with him. She is in LOVE with him! But, she is also the best behaved dog we have. She is easily scared and acts like a good guard dog, but I think she would hide if push came to shove. She also has the largest, deadliest tail known to man! It hits everything and doesn't feel good when it does. No matter what, I'm glad to have her. She's sweet, loving, and a sissy, but I couldn't imagine not having her!

To all you dog lovers, 

--Am

PS - I forgot to mention how cute Alex was when we first got her. He was so excited, he went to PetSmart with his mom to pick everything out (ie bed, collar). It was so adorable when he brought home the pink collar with white daisies for our little Daisie. :)

How To Cover Your Clothes in Animal Fur

No, I'm not talking about a fur coat made of minx, rabbit, or fox. I'm talking about a coat made of synthetic materials that is littered with domestic animal fur. This is really easy to do…just get three dogs and a cat. Really only one dog or one cat would suffice, as it just gets worse with multiples. Alex often complains about eating fur with every meal consumed at the breakfast bar. I can't disagree with him as the fur is EVERYWHERE! When we clean, the space is re-furred in ten minutes. It's hopeless.

Once it's in our living space, it's on our clothes and in our cars. It's probably all over my office and my coworkers and now their homes and our parents' homes and well, the world. Sorry to all of you for that!

No matter how much we vacuum the floors, wipe down the counters, or lint roll our jackets, it will never be fur-less. Here are some pics of my coat after it's been lint-rolled using at least four of the tapes:

up close and personal of the fur covered black jacket 

the back of the black jacket--see the little white lines? 

yep, that's the fur. 

sleeve with more fur

In case you can't see how bad it is, let me give you a little story. I was once at lunch at Pita Pit (yum) with my friend Leslie when the guy at the table next to us felt the need to interrupt our conversation. He stated his name as Jared and commented on Leslie's coloring and my earrings and outfit. While talking about my outfit, he mentioned my coat (which at this time was my long, three button, tie-around-the-waist, cobalt blue coat). It went something like this, "I just have to say that your outfit is great. The jacket, although it looks like you rolled around in dog hair in it, with the earrings, is just fabulous." He proceeded to give us the name of his friend's blog, to which he sometimes contributes (see circlecitystyle.blogspot.com). It was awesome how he called me out on my fur covered coat, and somehow managed to compliment me at the same time. 

However, it's still not enough for me to care to have it de-furred. I'm just too lazy for that, unless there's something really important I need to attend or there's someone I need to impress. That's not very often and not many people. Sorry if that offends anyone who sees my fur-ridden coat day after day.  

Furry tales to all!

--Am 

culprit #1: Hallie 

culprits #2, #3, & #4: (from left) Dodger, Daisie, and Diego

How To Be a Lover of Animals

Let me preface this by saying, we love animals. More specifically, dogs and cats. If we won the lottery, one of the top things on the list would be to open an animal shelter/home. I feel so awful about the many animals that are brought into this world unloved. You can give the same argument for unwanted babies, but there's something about puppies/dogs and kitties/cats in shelters that tugs at my heartstrings. Not sure why, maybe it has something to do with this book this lady named Pat gave me when I was born, maybe it's because I used to have to moo at the cows when I was little, maybe it's genetic (my mom's family is known for taking in strays and my dad has a big soft animal-loving heart too). Who knows. I just love animals.

I grew up with Midnight (cat) and Sandie (dog), which were both rescues. Midnight passed and in 8th grade we rescued four cats from our church. And when I say we, I mean my dad found a yellow male cat (he had always wanted one) at church and brought him home. Once we found out there were more that had been dumped there, we traveled to the church to gather up the rest. We found four more. One was taken by someone else, so we took the remaining three. Two of these cats went to Dad's shop and we kept Nectar (yellow male) and the runt, which we named Hallie (short for Hallelujah). Note: Hallie is where my zoo starts.

After Sandie (best dog ever) passed, we wound up with Ellie (who was cute but is probably the worst dog ever). Nectar also passed, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring home another yellow male cat from school. This one was named Chester (from Manchester). Big mistake on my part as he is pain in the arse. Also at school, a couple of my friends had adopted a part-Siamese cat named Oscar. He was too much to handle and I couldn't bear him going back to the shelter, so I said I would take him to my Dad's shop. And that's where I dropped him off at. Only to come home and find him at my parent's house. When asked why he was brought home, Dad replied, "He feel asleep in my arms and looked so cute. I couldn't leave him at the shop." Ah! Maybe this is where I get my need to bring animals home?

My last year at school, I brought Hallie to live with me and she became my cat. She lived in Manchester, Castleton, and Downtown Indy with me. She's a good little (I use that term loosely as she's 16 pounds) companion.

Hallie cat

After Al and I started dating and later became engaged, he decided it was time for a dog. I was apprehensive at first (thinking about how Hallie would react), but warmed up to it. That's where Daisie comes into the picture. (I'll give the background on all the pups at a later time; each would be a separate story in itself). We got Dodger because we thought Daisie needed a friend. It took a minute, but they eventually became buds. Most recently we've added Diego, who is so small in comparison that's it's hard to even call him a dog. Wow, three dogs and a cat! I never thought I'd have more than one of each at a time. Just call us the Animal Kingdom! 

Lots of love to my animal friends and friends of animals!
--Am

 

from left: Dodger, Daisie, Amber, Diego, Hallie