Let it Snow

Some pictures from the first snow of the winter:

The puppy

So, a little late posting these, but here are pictures of our puppy Sampson when we first got him. He's already two or three times the size seen in these pictures:

Charmin! The most $ toilet paper in the world...

 

Wrapping up the Plumbing woes..., the Master of the house arranged for the septic service to come out and look at the tanks. Naturally, they were nowhere near full and didn't need to be pumped out. However, we did get dinged for a service call (which was as much as pumping would have been).

 

The next stop in our plumbing journey was to call a plumber to find the clog. So, I stayed home to supervise the service call. (Which was also as much as pumping the septic tank would've been.)

 

The cause? A hard bend from the toilet to the main pipe and too much Charmin! We have since made a new house rule for the person using that bathroom that "if it doesn't come from your body, don't put it in the potty!"

 

As luck would have it, my landlord arrived with his plumber, while the plumber I hired was finishing his work. My estimation of my landlord's plumber is definitely on the low-side.

 

I don't know where he found this guy (apparently, a number of other folks have found him too since he said his schedule is full for at least a month). I do hope he is getting a rock-bottom price though because his expertise leaves something to be desired.

 

His solution to the current plumbing situation was to clean out the main pipe. It took me 4 explanations of why that was not the optimal answer before I finally got the point across to the landlord and he decided that my suggestion is in fact the best long-term solution.

 

As I explained to my landlord (and his plumber), the current issue has been fixed. What I am interested in solving is what caused this to happen like it did in the first place.

 

It just isn't a good idea to have a toilet empty to a main pipe at less than a 5% grade and is only 15-20 feet long. It means that anytime there is a clog in the main pipe you run the risk of black water backing up into all of the sinks, bathtub(s), and appliances.

 

One would think a landlord who is interested in maximizing his profit on a rental property would immediately grasp that the immediate investment will save emergency expenditures later. Thankfully, I was able to get that across to him and now we simply await the scheduling of plumbing work.

 

Watch, it will be scheduled around the same time as a fabulous snowstorm this winter...

Puppies! You want what?!

 

I must admit that my experience with shelters is somewhat limited. Usually, when I find myself in need of a Pet; I simply travel to my nearest Humane Society and find one that suits or perhaps a friend (or a friend of a friend) knows of a lovely animal that they are trying to place in a loving home.

 

However, after our last pet debacle - which I won't go into at this time; the Master and I decided that we wanted to adopt a puppy this go-round.

 

So I hopped online - the Internet being the best place to find real live things after all - and came across a shelter in our area that actually had purebred boxer pups available.

 

Now, I believe that puppy farms are detestable and love the feeling of moral certitude that comes from rescuing an otherwise unwanted dog. (Not that the puppies are unwanted - indeed competition is fierce. It's only after they have grown for a year or two that they generally become unwanted.)

 

The pups are expensive; though much less than I'd guess the going rate for a purebred puppy from a reputable breeder would be. I really don't have any problems with the expense of puppy ownership nor do I have any qualms about putting a deposit down to hold a puppy pending placement.

 

What I do take issue with is this - while I am assuming the risk of taking a rescued dog, be it puppy or full grown, and I am paying for the privilege - it seems a bit much to ask that I put a *non-refundable* deposit of 1/2 the adoption price without the benefit of meeting the dog, viewing their current living quarters, or having any idea of their treatment in their foster home.

 

Perhaps, if this was a shelter that we had worked with previously or if I personally knew the shelter management, or maybe even if I knew someone who had worked with this shelter with good results; I might feel somewhat differently.

 

But to ask someone to pay for a pet that they are not guaranteed to receive (pending home review, references check, and suitability review) and have not yet met or seen from someone that they don't know - seems to be... arrogant.

 

It could be that I am simply out-of-touch with the way things are done at some of the shelters these days. But isn't the whole goal here to make sure the pet will be with a family that will love and take care of him or her? It makes me wonder how many perfectly good homes are turned-off by the myriads of hoops; personal, financial, and schedule; that they make a prospective adoptive family jump through.

 

I've heard that pet adoption from a shelter can be as daunting as child adoption. I don't believe that. But I am beginning to get irritated by the holier-than-thou attitude that is inferred by the "placement" process of today's shelters.

 

Abuse of any living being is despicable - particularly (in my biased view) of living mammals. I don't condone it and I think the penalties should be harsh for such treatment.

 

Yet I find myself wondering how it is that not only did I volunteer to have a complete stranger come into my home to judge my lifestyle and living arrangements but I have to PAY for that judgement.

 

It seems to me that we've got this the wrong way around. If you love animals so much that you're willing to run a shelter to prevent the wholesale slaughter of strays and abused pets - then upon deeming me "worthy" of pet ownership, you should be paying me for taking the animal out of your upkeep and into my own. After all, I am now the one responsible for feeding, healthcare, and all liability issues of the pet.

 

(And yes, I know these people have to make a living too. But seriously NON-REFUNDABLE is a term that I don't think should exist.)

EWW! Plumbing woes...

 

Although I tend to define myself as a 'city-girl' (or at least a suburban mom), I am no stranger to living on a septic system.

 

For long stretches whilst I was growing up we were living on a resort, usually in a trailer, and our plumbing attached to septic. More recently, our last house was on a septic system.

 

I must say that our current abode, that is also on a septic system, is teaching me wonderful things about benefits of well-thought out and installed plumbing.

 

For example, I have never really thought about the implications of putting a washing machine, bathtub, and toilet on the same septic-waste pipe.

 

Intellectually, I know that this is a bad idea. It's a whole new wad of lint to experience the vapor-lock that occurs for the toilet every time you turn on the washing machine. Thus insuring that you and your toilet plunger become the best of friends. Additionally, it's tons more fun when lint mysteriously gets into your washing machine and then into both the bathtub and the toilet effectively creating a dam, the likes of which I will euphemistically dub the 'grande damn".

 

The results of which are causing us to pump the septic tank 3 months early -- that being an item in the lease that we are responsible for though we've only lived in this house 2 months now -- and (hopefully) talk the landlord into paying for a plumber to come out and re-plumb said toilet, and maybe bathtub, correctly so that I don't have to worry about washing my cloths in sh*t - literally.

 

The silver lining in this poo-cloud is that by the time we are ready to leave this abode for our next adventure - we will either be starting fresh from a recent bankruptcy or we will be masters at planning for the financially unexpected. Obviously, option 2 is my preference here.

 

Oh, and I will *never* again take good plumbing for granted. This item is currently on top of my "things to be thankful for" list for Thanksgiving this year!

The yard

This is just a small chunk of the yard:



The property backs up to a gulley with this lovely view:

Puppies! Do we tell him we're not his 'real' parents?

I don't know many women, and men for that matter, who don't enjoy puppies. At least in the 'oh how cute...please don't piddle on my shoes' kind of way.

Myself, I am a sucker for them. Every tiny bundle of fur evokes the tender-hearted admiration of youth just beginning and all of life to look forward to. Perhaps, the very young of any species offers hope to those of us who've been on the planet long enough to be jaded.

All cuteness aside, puppies eventually grow to be dogs and with the right breed and the right training can be extremely useful companions. Especially, when you have wildlife roaming about near your home (see Bears! Oh My!) and a youngling of your own species to tend.

So in the spirit of hope for new beginnings in our new home, the Master of the house and I have decided to adopt one of those cute little bundles of fur (which hopefully we can teach not to piddle indoors fairly quickly, much less on any visiting shoes).

We don't know which puppy we'll receive from the prospective litter since we are adopting from a shelter. Our appointment to meet our adoptive puppy should happen some time next week.






This is the Masters favorite of the litter so far.

They really are the cutest ever!












This is my favorite one!









Though this one looks to be the fuzziest!





Stay tuned for more installments about Puppies!

Bears! Oh My!

 

Ever seen an apple with bear teeth marks in it? Until recently, I had not had the pleasure. Nor had I spent any time in contemplation of just how much poop a bear produces.

 

Both experiences are new, to this city-trying-to-turn-country girl. I mean, I do live in the Pacific Northwest where the outdoor lifestyle is nearly deified and have heard many stories of others coming across bear while out hiking or kayaking or engaged in some other wilderness-type activity. 

 

But not me. Never me. I usually like my wildlife close enough to feel daring but far away enough that there's no real danger. After all, when we hear about some poor sap getting mauled by a cougar or attacked by a bear, generally my first response is, "Well, what did they expect? They are invading their home!" Or, if I am feeling charitable, there is a distant sense of pity for the tragedy of having one's life so suddenly altered or cut short by a 'wild' event.

 

Now, I have moved into a bear's home. Not literally, mind you - I'm not sure I am ready for cave or thicket-living, but definitely within a bear's natural range of foraging.

 

So far, it's a very courteous bear. None of us have seen it "in the flesh" yet. It hasn't gotten into the shed or tried to maul the garbage cans. It's left the cars alone.

 

There are 2 apple trees within 150 feet of my new home and this bear likes apples. Truth be told, they are fairly tasty apples. Nicely, the bear hasn't even left the results of late-night apple eating binges in the main paths or the driveway.

 

I find it a little unsettling to catch myself thinking about how I would handle a bear charge. What would I do if I actually saw the bear? My natural reaction, when panicked, is to freeze. I'm not so sure that is going to be helpful really.

 

And I keep thinking that should I ever happen to see this bear, and should the bear ever charge at me - I hope my death by mauling will happen on a day when complete strangers are having a charitable day and I win the distant pity lottery...