Posts Tagged ‘lexi’

31 May

PA camp trip with the pooches

Posted by Mel in posts. Tagged: , , , , , .

we loaded up the pop-up camper and hit the road for a two hour trek inland – destination Otter Lake, PA

being this was Buddy and Lexi’s first time camping, i planned a mid-week trip, versus one on the weekend, when the camp site would have more visitors. so wednesday to friday it was, just enough to get away from civilization for a bit

Bud was super anxious for the first and last quarter of the ride. he’s got this idea that anything after 20 minutes of being in the car that we should have already been somewhere … little did he know what he was in for! Lex got her sniff on almost the entire ride, being a hunting dog i can only imagine the new smells she was salivating over

we got to camp just before the sun set, strung the pooches up on their 25 foot leads and got to setting up camp. we cracked up many times on the trip catching the dogs in their element, taking in all of the new sights and smells – and bugs and lizards and frogs. little miss took care of eating most of the bugs before they got to us!

it didn’t take long before the fire was blazing and we were all sitting around enjoying the relaxing-ness that comes with camping – with a stream that ran right along the site, it was a very nice set up they offer (def will be planning a return trip)

5am the next morning came WAY too soon, “do you guys HEAR all of these birds?!” (Lexi) – she spent most of her time at the site with her eyes in the sky. if that girl isn’t a bird dog, i don’t know what she is!

we took a short ride back to the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap to Worthington State Forest for a nice hike that touched on the Appalachian Trail and a picnic at Sunfish Pond – the dogs did GREAT especially after learning how to properly “heel” in their 8-week training session they just went through

JC got his fish on once we got to the top – a sunny snagged on the first cast!

Lexi intently watching her pops fish

Buddy strutting his stuff

we headed back to camp after a great afternoon spent in the woods and some more fishing down by the river. dinner and relaxing around the fire, then the RAIN came around 11:30pm… luckily we had the pop-up and got a card game of WAR going at the table while we listened to the rain coming down around us

i don’t know if it was from being worn out from the hike or her settling into her elements, but Lexi didn’t have us up the next morning quite as early – thank goodness!! we took our time packing up camp and hit the road home with a stop off at Hog Dog Johnny’s… the pooches didn’t wake up the entire ride and slept ALL weekend long as well… gotta love it!

(some more pics HERE)

25 May

lexiville

Posted by Mel in posts. Tagged: , , , .

… friday funnies …

these clowns kept us quite entertained on our camping trip. I’ll write more about our adventure next week, but here’s a little sneak peak:

Lexi domineering her ‘territory’

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my view almost the entire ride there

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Buddy giving me his ‘please save me from this crazy beast’ face

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~HAPPY FRIDAY~

~Mel

23 May

frozen strawbs

Posted by Mel in posts. Tagged: , , , , , .

i never thought the day would come that i would be wondering what to do with all of the strawberries i have growing amongst the flowers in the bed out front! what started as an experiment with three tiny plants when we first moved in has turned into an almost 8′ by 8′ spread of plants that keep expanding their presence every year – gotta love those strawberry runners, huh?!

 fighting off the birds hasn’t been too big of a problem this year – knock on wood – so i have been picking about this much every couple of days

and since we can’t consume them at the rate they are ripening, i devised a way to savor the ruby goodness for months to come

give them a rinse, cut off the stem, slice into quarters and toss them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in the freezer overnight

in the morning, slide them into a freezer bag and viola! instant preservation

they can be thawed out in the fridge, put in yogurt so they thaw out on the way to work and keep the yogurt cooled, pop them in the blender to make a smoothie – so many possibilities!

~ * ~ * ~

Buddy and Lexi are about to embark on their FIRST camping adventure – more pictures to come!

~Mel

2 Apr

natural defense

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , .

with the weather starting to warm up and the pooches spending more and more time outside, it’s all more the reason to make sure they are safe guarded from fleas, ticks and mosquitoes

Buddy: "who moi?!"

being i kinda have a thing for sticking to the natural paths as much as possible, something inside of me wasn’t sitting right… it seemed off when i’d apply the chemical based flea and tick repellant once a month between my dog’s shoulder blades. what is IN this stuff? why do i have to limit MY physical contact to it if i’m putting it right onto MY own dog’s skin?!

Lexi: "you're putting THAT on me?!" lovin' the stoic face!

hearing about ‘Natural Defense’ by SENTRY came at the right time! my SIL has been using it on her dachshund for a while now and couldn’t speak more highly about it. what’s there to not like?

it’s naturally derived from plant based oils

it smells good AND prevents fleas, ticks and mosquitoes for a month!

SOLD

it still leaves a bit of an oily slick on their back for a while, like the chemical based one, but i’ve figured out a way around this! put an old t-shirt on your pooch until the oils soak in

he may not look pleased, but he secretly loves the t-shirt!

as for deterring a certain someone from stealing the socks from the hamper… maybe there’s another natural remedy out there on the market?!

caught red handed

13 Mar

peering eyes

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , .

how cute is this idea?!
a dog bone shaped window for the fence!

i can’t figure out if installing something like this would cause Buddy and Lexi to bark more or less… is it not being able to see the evil intruders on the other side of the fence that sets them off, or would being able to see them coming just add to the madness?! i know Lexi’s answer – she just likes to listen to herself!

i’m voting on putting it to the test :0)

… now where’d my jig saw get to …

14 Feb

share the love

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , .

last year’s Valentine’s Day post was about when/why V-Day got started and the oldest known Valentine’s Day card (if you missed it, check out the deets HERE)

i also had a piece that is too good to not repeat:

in appreciation of V-Day, join me in sharing the love by sending a free e-card to your virtual valentine right from freekibble’s website. when you participate in their daily trivia game (which entails just one interesting fact) 10 pieces of kibble are donated to shelter dogs and cats – 710,980,500 pieces of kibble have been donated since April 1, 2008

we wouldnt have our adorable Bud-man and Lexi-girl today if it werent for the shelters and rescue groups helping strays, abused and neglected animals who need love and homes too. give ‘em a hand – it only takes a minute, and look at how cute the cards this year are:

<3 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! <3

this one's for you CC <3

4 Nov

A Pet’s TEN Commandments

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , .

A Pet’s TEN Commandments

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I only have you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I chose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me fr being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~*HAPPY FRIDAY*~

1 Nov

when dogs attack

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , .

yesterday marked the second – yes you read that right, SECOND – time in just a couple of months that my dogs and i were attacked by other dogs while trying to peacefully walk around our neighborhood… and yes mom/dad, this time i did call the cops

warning: this is a lengthy tale – feel free to scroll to the bottom for the ‘what to do when attacked’ portion

we were just a block or so from home, finishing up a 2-3 mile walk with the two dogs. they were happy as clams because they got to sniff all they wanted and were starting to look a little worn out (which takes a LOT for two very active pooches). we rounded one of the last corners of our trek when we saw a younger boxer standing in his driveway, safely held back by his electric fence. as he incessantly barked at us to get away from ‘his property’, we quickly veered to the other side of the street where B&L took to trotting on while sniffing some more specimens.

the boxer followed us along as we made our way out of his ‘territory’, when out of no where an older boxer came darting through the bushes, ran right through the electric fence and made a B-line - with his teeth bearing and hair up on his back – for poor Bud-man’s neck. i screamed bloody hell for help, tried kicking the big dog off to no avail, then the younger one decided to join in on the fun and i quickly found myself trapped and scared to death. my ankles were wrapped up in the leashes, my dogs were startled and trying to hold their own, while the two boxers kept lunging at us… it felt like the l.o.n.g.e.s.t. five minutes of my LIFE.

FINALLY two little girls who lived next door came out and realized i needed help – ‘but what could they do to break this up’, was all i could think. then the neighbor next to them came running over just as the owner decided to make his way out.

‘the owner’… RUDE does not even come close to what he is. it took him, uncomfortably long, to grasp what was happening until he called his dogs off of mine and back into his yard.

HIM: HEY, what just happened?!
ME: your dogs just ran through your electric fence and started attacking us
HIM: oh, well are you okay?
ME: i don’t know yet. i think so. i don’t see any blood right now, but i haven’t really checked us over.
HIM: well, they’re up to date on all of their shots, so you should be fine (said over his shoulder as he’s walking away, brushing off what just happened). i don’t know how they got through this fence.
ME: i DO! it’s because its NOT A REAL FENCE!! you need something more than a stupid zap to keep them from hurting other people!!!

i continued on down the street, half trying to get away from the scene and half trying to check the pups and i to see if everyone was alright

LUCKILY, we all made out okay, this time – besides our PRIDE! my ankles are a little bruised from the leash being wrapped around them and Buddy’s tongue was bleeding for a bit, but seemed to die down by the time we made it home. all i kept thinking was how helpless i felt…

how could i not protect my dogs?
what if i had a kid with me and that happened?!

so, in doing some research, i found out:

WHAT TO DO WHEN ATTACKED

say ‘NO’ in a loud, deep voice
this does NOT work all of the time, like with me yesterday… the dog’s could care less about what i was saying to try to scare them off. but you may be able to catch the attacking dog off guard by your dominant voice and scare them away.

carry a big stick – no joke!
a lot of the places i found information said that by having a big, heavy stick on your side is one of the best ways to hit the attacking dog with. the best spot to hit them is right between the ears. as many times as it takes to jostle the rage out of them and keep you at enough of a distance to get away. don’t feel bad about this, it’s you and your dogs or them, and you have no idea what they are capable of

carry pepper spray
it doesn’t always have the same effect that it does on humans, but it will do enough to startle the other dog and get it to stop attacking you. if you end up spraying a bit of your own dog while trying to thwart off the attacker with it, it’ll be worth it because you can guide your dog to safety while the other one sets in a haze of peppery goodness

call the police or animal control
you being attacked is not something that you should just brush off and take lightly, as i did our first attack when i was actually bit on the leg by the other dog, trying to fight her off of mine. if the owners and their dogs are able to get away with this, this time, you never know when a little kid is going to be riding their bike by and attacked by that same dog who attacked you – they may not make out the same way you did

22 Sep

its herb dryin time

Posted by Mel in Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , .

man, i wish that went along better to the tune of Peanut Butter Jelly Time…

anyways – that time of the year has come when the first frost is just around the corner and you realize you have this BASIL beast growing away in your herb garden

what do i do with it all?
wellz – the past couple of years you could bob and weave your way through my garage during the beginning of the fall, trying not to knock into one of the zillion bushels of herbs drying out. this method does work well, but, being the rather impatient one that i am, this year i just didnt feel like waiting the couple of weeks that it takes, then having to bag/jar it all up to either freeze or store in the pantry

thankfully Farmer T did the leg work on researching this awesome Dehydrator which takes just ONE DAY to dry out two 8oz jars of herbs – tooooo cool right?!

this is what just 4 stalks of my plant looks like laid out on the drying racks (oh yeah – and when the directions say to ‘cut the leaves in half lengthwise to aid in the drying process’, you may want to actually listen to them. they may have tested this a couple of times!)

of course – my trusty sous chefs were on hand to assist in all herb-prep matters

here’s just a couple of hours in – already starting to shrivel up

and boy were the pooches pooped by the 24 hour mark!

keeping a watchful eye on the dehydrator is such a tough job :0)

VIOLA!

i ended up ordering another set of racks (they come in packs of two) and two more sets of the fine mesh tray inserts that lay on the rack to prevent smaller herbs from slipping through the cracks

i have sage cooking away in there now, ready to pack in jars when i get home from work tonight… LOTS more herbies in the garden to dry out for the season!!

12 Sep

i remember

Posted by Mel in random. Tagged: , , , .

the hubster and i started this post-race tradition of hitting up one of our favorite breakfast joints in town after my races to have a celebratory eggs, bacon and hashbrown goodness… in fact, most of the time, on the last leg of my race, i start fantasizing about that plate of food!

i don’t have this magnet on my stove for nuthin’
chewed on by the lovely Lexi-monster!

when we just finished up eating i noticed this sign hanging on the wall behind usand couldnt help but think, ‘so dayum tru!’

if i hadnt put myself up to the challenege last year, how could i ever know today that i could not only complete 3 triathlons, but continue to kick my last event’s time in the butt?!
i finished 65th out of 1600 participants and 6th in my age division… and last year it was 299th out of 1438 and 15th in my age division.

seeing progress in my race times and placings just reaffirms the fact to me that whatever i am doing in training is paying off and e.v.e.r.y single day i am learn something new about all of it!

so yesterday morning when we walked over to the start of the race on pretty much the exact same beach where i stood just ten years ago during highschool, watching black smoke pluming from the twin towers… lets just say the normal emotions that are flying through my body and mind at the start of a race were def in super-turbo-overdrive mode. the moment of silence and the national anthem left me with some salty jewels trickling down my cheeks

we were all there that morning with the same mindset, and true to typical american spirit, the commraderie, patriotism and rememberance weren’t skipping any beats. in fact, we all got some sweet high fives for the american flags we markered on for the race:

the day was great! mother nature showered us on the bike ride for a bit… but i looked at it like ‘thanks for cleaning the salt water off of me from the swim’. even though it caused me to drop my water bottle because my hands were so slippery :0) and one of my fave parts was having cuzz right along side of me for the entire leg of the swim. i kept looking over at her and the smile on her face warmed my soul. we high-fived in the water and she tells me ‘this is SO COOL – I’m hooked!’

(AWESOME job on your first TRI cuzzy-cuzz – here’s to MANY more)

another one bites the dust, but i’m not done with the season yet!
just signed up for a duathlon in october and a 5-mile run in november… what more is to come?
who knows… as long as proceeds go to a good cause and its a good challenge, i’m there!

p.s. still flyin high from the tri :0)

P.S.S. there’s still time to enter into the salsa giveaway – just leave a comment letting me know if you want a pint or half-pint and i’ll pull together a drawing shortly!

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