Almost Third Place!

Guess who made weight for her motor AND did not finish last today?  That's right: moi!

Singer's tired too.  (Note the duct taped shoe.)

For the first two seasons, I was zooming around in a Comer with a 380 lb+ total weight requirement.  After the Comer ate some metal, he was replaced with a PRD Fireball.  Bad news? Definitely a lot less zzzzoom. That "knock your head off" feeling I used to get going down the back straight has been replaced with a steady put-put-put.  However, with the decreased power comes a much lower, 340 lb weight requirement.  Even so, I was still underweight by more than a few pounds.  A hundred twenty dollars worth of lead weights later, I was officially legal, with five pounds to spare.

The August 4 race was different in another way as well: for the first time ever, the TAG class had two qualifying heats instead of a qualifier, pre-feature and feature.  When you have two qualifiers, your first qualifying start position is determined by your draw.  For the second qualifier, the field is inverted.  In any event, I drew a 253, which put me fourth in a pack of five during the first qualifier.  P5 was a really nice guy who used to race on dirt tracks as a kid, drove at Etown for a few years, and was now returning to karting after a hiatus.  I guess having kids does that to you though.  To my surprise, I beat him in both qualifiers!  During my second qualifier, I pulled a 43.99, my fastest time yet, despite being on a slower motor and having the least seat time in years.  (I guess life does that to you too. :P)

For the feature race, I started in P4.  The start was clean, but during the third or fourth lap, I started catching up to P3 (Kart 11)!  Kart 11 was totally within spitting distance, and I saw him fiddling with his motor down the straight.  Uuunnfortunately, I got a little too excited about this unprecedented happening and broke way too late at the end of the straight and spun out.  A few bumps over the turtles later, P3 had cemented his position as P3.  :(

The good news is that I had also cemented my position as P4, and for the first time ever, beat someone!

Made weight: Yup
Drove faster than someone: Yup
Hit a personal best at the track: Yup
Beat someone for reasons not related to their equipment failure: Yup!

YEAAAAAHHH!  Maybe as a treat, I'll finally get some real karting shoes.  During my first qualifier, I could feel the wind on my toes.  I fixed the situation with a little duct tape, but I'm pretty sure the abrasion protection of duct tape is limited.

MDOG Egg Hunt 2013!

We made the MDOG FB page!  Singer and BoBo had a blast again, and cleaned up!  (No bunny ears this year.)

Puppy Hauler

$5,000 ouchie.

As most of you know, I got into a little car accident at the end of March.  I was turning left into my driveway when the car behind me managed to hit Zippy on the driver's side front wheel and bumper, drive across my front lawn, and stop her car a few houses up from mine.  That's right, the LEFT side.  The cop who showed up to take the police report was a bit incredulous too.  Save some neck pain the next day, I was fine.  BoBo and Singer appear to be fine too.

In any event, I thought this would be a quick fix, until I started to drive to my evening obligation.  That's when I realized driving the car felt like operating a Whirlyball car.  Not good!  Well, after the other driver's insurance company threatened to total my car, I ended up in a rental Hyundai Santa Fe.  I thumbed my nose at the giant, gas guzzling SUV until I started getting used to the power windows, keyless entry, power locks, hatchback door.... The White Lightning was awesome!  Of course, he also drove like a swaying boat, cost me over $150 in gas over the course of 3 weeks, and required skillful maneuvering in the parking garage.  But I'd been seduced.  My next car may likely be a 5 door Hyundai Accent.  138 horsepower, 5 year roadside assistance, 100,000 mi warranty... ahh what luxury!

I finally got Zippy back last week.  He has a brand new headlight, suspension, front bumper, and some other shiny things.  While all the bells and whistles were nice and convenient, I think I'll be keeping Zippy for a while longer.  He's been trouble free since the start, and has a good 5-7 years left in him.

New love

For the last few weeks, I've been obsessed with the idea of biking with Singer.  After checking out Craigslist for bikes and coming up empty handed, I bit the bullet and hit the big box stores.  I ended up at Sports Authority, choosing between a "comfort bike" (shocks on the nearly 6 inch wide seat!) and a mountain bike.  Feeling optimistic about my ability to master two wheels, I went with the mountain bike.  The salesman was quite concerned when he realized why I wanted the bike, especially after he saw me trying to test out the bikes in the aisles.  In any event, four weeks later, Singer and I are competently cruising around the block.  The trick is to keep the leash short and to let go when necessary.  Otherwise, it can get ugly.  

Easter dogs.

My Little Easter Bunny!

Getting a helping paw from Singer.

Singer and Bo finally made it to the Manchester Doggie Easter Egg Hunt this year!  (It was rained out last year.)  Ten bucks per dog family gets you about 4 minutes of frantic egg scooping, surrounded by dogs who couldn't care less about what's going on.  So what was the total take?  Lots of free nail clipping coupons and two, count them, two free dog consults at a local vet.  I'd say that was a pretty good ROI.  Plus, this awesome shot of Singer with her paw around Bo's back.

Half Marathon

At the reservoir, chomping at the bit.

My friend Misti and I are distance-training for a half marathon.  We have a google calendar to track our work outs, and are using a novice training schedule.  Singer and Bo have volunteered to be my in-person training partners.

My goal is to do a half marathon sometime in late Spring or early Summer and do the full marathon in mid-October.  Maybe I should add a running log to the blog?

Giraffe?

Every now and then, when Singer's collar is off, you can see how long her neck is.  Usually, you don't notice though.. until she does this!  It looks like I have a brindle giraffe cruising in my back seat!

On an unrelated note, I've been keeping tabs on the NYC Animal Control's daily euthanasia list.  And it breaks my heart.  There was a time, not too long ago, that I thought, "why on earth would anyone want a pit bull?"  All I ever heard in the news media was bad, bad, bad.  But Singer has truly changed my life, and opened up my eyes (and heart) to this misunderstood class of dogs.  I say class, because it seems like anything and everything that has a stubby head and a crazy smile is considered to be a Pit Bull.  (Yes, I know they're not!)

Anyway, back to the NYC Animal Control.  Each day, a group called Urgent Part 2 posts pictures of the dogs that the NYC Animal Control will put down the following morning, as well as dogs that are at risk of being next on the list.  Most of the public never knows about these dogs, because these dogs are never shown in the public adoption area.  And each day, I pledge what I can, for a recognized rescue organization to pull or foster one of those dogs.  And day after day, I watch as my pledge goes unclaimed, because no one pulled or no one offered to foster, and the dog has been killed.  I wish the Animal Control would post these pictures too, so that people who give up their dogs because they're too old, or too expensive, or they're moving, or they're not interested in walking their dog anymore, is forced to acknowledge that they are sending their dogs to die.

It breaks my heart.  It breaks my heart that dogs like Singer and dogs that look like Singer, go into the pound with 2.5 strikes against them.  It breaks my heart that people don't want to give dogs like her a chance.  I don't think there is a reason in the world why anyone would buy a dog from a breeder or a pet store when dogs, healthy, young, friendly dogs die each day.  A dog like BoBo steps foot into the pound with a full death sentence.  Wrong breed, wrong age, wrong, wrong, wrong.  But in reality, she is an amazing, silly, playful dog who is full of life and full of love.  I only wish I had the resources to make a bigger difference in the lives of dogs like Singer and Bo.

Is this what you see when you look down from your laptop?

 

One upside of working through the weekend(s) at home...

First climb of the season.

Am I in the way?

After a weekend full of fun times at the computer, I took a quick break to welcome the 2012 climbing season with my favorite crag dog.   Practiced First Crack a few times in preparation for an eventual lead, and then moved the rope over between First and Second for a few face climbs that ranged from about a 5.6 to a 5.8.  Nothing scary, but great way to start the season!  Did I mention we were the first climbers of the day?

Ice crystals in the mud.  Cold, very cold.

Singer looks for some sun.  Still cold.

Smushy face.

While it's true that most dogs like car rides, Singer is the only dog I know who will forgo treats for a car ride. When she's not leaning into turns like a race car driver or inhaling as much air as her little lungs can take, she settles for doing ridiculously cute things.  Like this.  HA.

My new favorite picture of the girls

My new-old friend Constance came through the area yesterday and took this awesome picture of my girls.  This might have to be my 2012 Christmas card.

She also took a great photo of Singer and Bo that I'm saving for later. :)

Gratuitous nature picture.

Case Mountain

Happy dog booties.

 Singer, Bo and their friend Lee went for a hike this Saturday.  Lots of romping, scary stream crossings, and a chance encounter with an old professor!  Life is good.

Prancing.

Lee.

Airborne.

Fancy footwork.

I am a rock.  I am an island.

New friends.

Old friends.

Tree jewelry.

Busy days

The past few weeks have been extraordinarily busy, with work, taxes and a trip to the vet for BoBo.  Oh, and the stomach flu.  Hooray.  I've lined up two very nice dog walkers for Singer and am looking forward to knowing that she'll get a midday run when things get too tight at the office.

Sometimes I wish Singer and I could switch places.  :)

When things calm down, I'll take my two favorite gals for a nice long hike.

Pear Today, Gone Tomorrow

Apparently, Singer really likes Bosc pears.  I came home the other night to find some bathroom tissue in the living room.  After cleaning it up, I went to my bedroom and found a half-eaten pear underneath my bed.  After giving her the naughty lecture, I noticed that next to the pear was an empty plastic bag.  That's when I realized that Ms. Sneaky hadn't just helped herself to half a pear, but a whole BAG of pears.  Three and a half delicious Bosc pears, to be exact.

So on my next Costco run a day later, I picked up some more pears to replenish my stock.  As all things Costco go, my 40 lbs. of pears came hermetically sealed in cryovac bullet proof--- well, twist tied plastic bag.  In any event, I had to run a quick errand and left Singer in the car.  When I returned 10 minutes later, I found my front passenger seat covered in pear bits, and the bullet proof bag breached.  Since I had no idea how many pears she'd eaten, I weighed the bag when I got home.  Missing from my bounty: 1.5 lbs.  That sneak ate two pears!

On a related note, Blue Ridge Barks will now include Pear Today, Gone Tomorrow Doggie Fruit Chews.  :)

More Hiking

Blur of sniffery.

Hiking is an activity I've always had a love-hate relationship with.  It's something that has to be done to get to a crag, but it's always the worst part of the climbing process for me.  I'm no good at it, I lack the balance, sure-footedness and stamina to really enjoy it.  Also, half the time, it involves some reverse approach in the fading daylight, in addition to the general lack of skill. That said, Singer can't get enough of it, and for her, I am willing to get a bit, or a lot, uncomfortable.

Serendipitously matching hat and backpack.  

On Saturday, we took a short hike in Terryville, replete with a few scrambles and some trail running.  Cue fading daylight.  On Sunday, we met up with the dog hiking group for her second big girl hike with the other dogs.  This time, instead of being 15 minutes late, we were a solid 30-45 minutes late.  (Fence mayhem.)  This meant that by the time we got there, we were sprinting (okay, sprinting then walking, sprinting, then walking) up the trail, trying to catch the rest of the pack.  Singer didn't mind one bit.  At one point, before the summit, we spotted them descending, so we cut through another path and caught up in time for Singer to run around with Avery and a little beagle for the last mile or so.  We ended up doing a variation of the loop again, to let Singer run around and to check out the frozen pond

I think I've done more hiking in the past two weeks than I've done during the past 12 months, but at least my boots are getting some use.

Happy New Year!

Singer's 2011 was capped off with her first group hike!  We met up with a local dog hiking group for a 1.5 hour off-leash hike on Saturday morning.  Of course, we were late, and by the time we got onto the trail, we ran into a woman who had already lost her Husky dog.  Not an auspicious way to start the hike!  (The Husky was eventually found, twice, in fact.)

Singer, following the elusive Kenai.

Fifteen minutes later, we finally caught up with the lead group, and met the other hikers and dogs.  There were probably about 30 dogs, from Dachshunds to Dobermans.  Singer was the only Singer in attendance though.  Although she was a bit timid at first, she made fast friends with a mix named Avery and a big wire coated giant Schnauzer named Demetrius.  A giant black Russian Terrier was a part of the mix too, but she was a little more than Singer could handle.  The dogs all ran circles around each other, racing up and down the trail, barking and play bowing.

Singer looked so thrilled to be running around with the other dogs.  For every mile of the trail, she probably ran 3 miles.  The hike was 3.6 miles in total... Singer just about did a half marathon!  She's made so much progress in just a year.  This time last year, she was running behind me at the sight of puppies across the street.  Yesterday, she was letting other dogs sniff her, engaging dogs in play and chasing and being chased, like a "real" doggie.  Happy New Year!

Character (and quality). Of a man and his work.

My friend had a picture posted on her Facebook today.  In the picture was a hand, holding what appeared to be a small bunny.  Around the hand/ bunny was printed, "You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him," attributed to James D. Miles.

This post struck a nerve with me on several levels.

1) Singer's Christmas fence was a total disaster.  I was very sad this morning when I saw the whole thing in daylight.  I cried.  I hope the company, so far unnamed, will do the right thing and fix the problems promptly.

2) The first thing I thought of when I saw the picture was Lenny.

3) I've been a little slow on the uptake lately, so I had to break this third one down.  Pets, even the most annoying ones, do something for you.  That's what makes them lovable, cherished members of the family.  When they stop doing anything for you, they're just burdens.  I guess that goes for everything in life.  Sometimes things are unpleasant and feel like burdens, and it is how we deal with them that shows our true nature.

When I first started fostering Bo, she was a terror.  Many people advised me to have her put down.  She was expensive, time consuming and unpredictable.   However blindly, I never stopped caring about her, even when I was bedridden and on painkillers because of her.  I'm not quite sure what she provided me, but I never felt like she had nothing to give.  She was troubled, confused and defensive, but full of life, and certainly deserving of love.  But what would it have taken for her to become an unqualified burden?  Would I have walked away?

Christmas Wrap Up.

Mantel Merriment (!)

Singer and Bo spent Christmas in CT and NY this year, so Santa came several times.  Their booty included  treats, a hair brush and the whopper, a fence that will be installed later this week.  Pretty soon, Singer and Bo will be able to run around with reckless abandon in their backyard.  If you've never gotten a fence installed, those things are not cheap!   I wonder if I can take the fence with me when I move?  My next house will definitely have a fence.

On Christmas Eve, my parents and I loaded up the car with the doggies and went Christmas light hunting and found an amazing property that had been decorated like a gingerbread village.  It was truly a sight to behold.  I love everything about Christmas, from the lights to the festivity to the time spent with family.  CHRISTMAS!

Singer has the Christmas zoomies.

In any event, my parents were thrilled so see Singer, and she was thrilled to show off with some extra fast zoomies in their yard.

Bo, on the other hand, was content to gnaw on a tennis ball after giving chase.

Unflappable concentration

In other Bo news, someone has expressed interest in adopting Bo.  As you know, Bo is a foster that I have had for almost 7 months now.  My family has grown quite attached to her, despite her old lady quirks.  So much so that she stays with my parents half-time these days.  If push came to shove, I would adopt her myself. 

Ghost poop.

I've been on poop patrol ever since Singer's birthday.  Why?  She had a run in with some chicken soup bones and the trash.  More like she ran into the trash can with her mouth open.  We called the vet right away to see if we should take her in for an x-ray.  After the vet asked about Singer's age, breed and weight, she advised us to hang tight and watch for loss of appetite, vomiting, constipation, or bloody poo.

It's been pretty clear that the first three have not been a problem.  I have been on poop watch though, and this is what I saw this morning:

Ghost poop.  Chicken bone calcium poop.  I'll take this over the 4th symptom anytime though.  And Singer will be glad when I stop following her into her secret pooping area and poking her ghostly works of art with a stick.