Wordless Wednesday - A favorite picture from the archives

Thumper - May 8, 2011

Motivation? What's that?

I don't know how it is where you are, but running is all the rage around here. I ran track WAY back in junior high, but my mantra these days has been "If you see me running, its because somebody is chasing me". So, you can probably imagine where this is going - last fall I got all excited about the idea of running (huh?) and signed up for a 5K in February. I had plenty of time to get in shape, right?

Well, here it is....January 29. And guess who never got past week 5 in the 10 week long training program. Me! I was doing well, until I had a couple of unfortunate outings with Thumper which ended with me on the ground with banged up knees. After taking a couple weeks off to heal, I had lost all motivation to train. Plus it was raining alot and cold and running in that weather hurt! Good reasons to stay in. I used to enjoy exercise but in the last couple of years, I have completely lost all interest in it.

I don't know why I'm rambling on about this tonight. In other news - Thumper ate some fluff from his bed today and barfed it back up in his crate. Hidden, of course, in the corner. He's got good aim. :/. Then when he got out of there, he set down his bone and Lightning ran off with it. Lol. Payback, doggy style!

Have a good day. I'll be running with Thumper again trying to prep for the 5K. I'm sure he will give me tales to tell.

WHAT?!?

My dogs are so lucky.  They have a fancy water dispenser that stores 3 gallons of water, has a filter, and provides a near endless supply of fresh drinking water.  Seriously, with that filter, their drinking water is more purified than ours, which just comes from the tap.  So, imagine my surprise (and disgust!) when I saw this:

My thought:  WTH is he DOING?!?  You've got to be kidding me.

This picture is Lightning, drinking water out a dirty flower pot.  (I took it looking through a window with my phone so that's why it's hazy.)  The flower pot is actually an old fish bowl, still containing dirt and a mostly dead plant.  It looks like swamp water...icky, brownish, and stinky.  I had completely forgotten it was there.  The bowl catches rainwater and apparently makes a really tasty libation out of it.  It would have been much easier to just bring the pot inside than set up that fancy water dispenser!

Just one of the many things that remind that dogs, at heart, are gross.  Now I have one more suspect for the cause of Lightning's bad breath.  He's the grossest.  So why do I love him so? 

No Snow. :(

Well, it didn't snow. Lightning didn't have to freeze his little toes in it. We do still have mud, mud, and more mud. These dogs are getting a good bath as soon as it dries up enough to not be futile!

Have a good Friday, and weekend if I don't get a chance to post on Saturday. And if you read only pet posts, please skip the rest of this one. I won't mind!

I'm expecting Saturday to be rough - we are planning to go to a funeral for a classmate of my son who passed away unexpectedly. The boy was only 14. It is believed that he took his own life. My son has said that he hates funerals but thinks he should go to show his respect for the boy. That's a very grown-up decision. It is so sad when our kids have such tragedy take away little bits of their youth, but I guess that's how we all grow up, right? I don't understand how this could have happened-I'm struggling with it too. Not only just his passing, but the manner in which it happened. How could someone so young believe this was his solution? Like most of the school community, I'm in shock. Thanks if you made it this far - I just needed to vent a bit.

Will it Snow?!?

The weather forecast for tonight includes SNOW.  No big deal for many of my blog friends, but it is BIG news here.  Lightning has seen snow once, and he has no use for it.  It's too cold on his delicate feet, I guess.  Thumper is more of an outdoorsy dog, though, so I'm hoping that if it snows, he gives me some good photo ops.  Have a great day.  :)

B&W Sunday: Here Comes the Rain Again

It's been raining here for days.  Like Noah-and-the-ark type raining.  The ground oozes water.  It's gross, and the lack of sunshine is weighing on me.  I typically get a case of the winter blues, which the constant gray skies worsens.

The dogs have found that there really isn't much to do with the rain, except look at it.

I wonder what he's thinking?

Pet Blogger Challenge

So - here are my rapidly written answers to the pet blogger challenge.  I didn't know what this was until today, which is why the answers are rapidly written. 

First Timers

If this is your first time participating in the Challenge we are looking forward to getting to know more about you and how you got started. Here are your questions:

1. When did you begin your blog?  I started this blog in the summer of 2011.  I was away from home for two weeks for work and got bored, so I started the blog. 

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?  We had recently adopted Thumper.  Everyday was an adventure with him, and I thought a blog would be a good way to record them and, if anybody read it, make people laugh.  Most of our adventures are MISadventures.

3. Is your current purpose the same?  It is changing, because Thumper grew up.  The funny material isn't nearly as abundant as it was two years ago. 

If not, what’s different?  I post less often. and the stories aren't nearly as funny.

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?  n/a

4. How often do you post?  I used to post a few times a week.  Now - it's down to maybe once a week....if Blogger cooperates.  :(

5. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?  Definitely as the spirit moves me.

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why? How do you think your decision affects your audience? How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”  Everything else in my life is done on a schedule.  My blog is a rebellion against the rigidity of modern day life....lol.  I'm sure this affects traffic to the blog.  Generally, I consider a post is post-worthy if it makes me laugh, involves a dog, or allows me to vent. 

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week?   Depends on how naughty Thumper and Lightning are. 

How much time visiting other blogs? Too much. 

Share your  tips for staying on top of it all.  I have none - I'm not on top of it all. 

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?  Getting comments is a measure of success.  Also the people who visit frequently.  I really enjoy the comments.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?  Nope.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?  My question - how do you get more followers? 

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?  Return to regular posting.  Find something new to talk.