Update --Stuff: Weekend and Stolen

Well, shoot.and, you did know I meant Belmont, right?


This would be hysterical if it weren't so darn true.

Stolen from Facebook.

Happy Preakness Day!  Thirty-six years ago, on June 10th, Pepper and I watched Affirmed win the last Triple Crown in our hotel room on our 2-day honeymoon. It'd be nice to have another Triple to celebrate on our anniversary on Monday! Geaux, Chrome!

On an athletic note of the human variety, Pepper and Grandkid #1 rode in a bicycle race this morning benefiting CARTI (Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute). They opted for the "half-century" length -- fifty miles.  This was #1's first time to do that distance and Pepper said he did pretty well, with just a little whining.  I'm proud of them -- and glad the torrential rains held off until the afternoon! Numbers 2 and 3, plus The Son, joined them at the finish.

Annnnnnd, Mysti is back in heat. It's nutzo time again at Moogie's Manor.  *sigh*  The pups have also appropriated Moogie's new fountain as their outdoor water source. *heavy sigh*  What are ya gonna do?

See you after Post time!

Olympic Musings

The Winter Olympics kick off today in Sochi amid fears of terrorism, dirty water, and losing the medal war. That's gotten me to thinking, and I've come to a somewhat unusual and unexpected conclusion.

Based on my observation of the goings-on on the deck the last couple of days, birds and squirrels are not exactly accomplished ice skaters. But squirrels can be pretty good terrorists.

Passing a Good Time

Moogie has "passed" a nice weekend, as they say down here in southeast Louisiana.

I got to catch up on a lot of blogstalking.  I got to lounge around on the couch with Rosie, order middle eastern food delivery, and watch a couple of what I figured to be chick-flickish movies that Pepper wouldn't appreciate.  (It turns out that I think he'd like them both:  Eat, Pray, Love and Valentine's Day.)  I got to leave dishes in the sink without guilt!

Since Pepper took Bouie's crate with them, I also got to vacuum the powder room (usually referred to, with affection, as "Bouie's Room") that has been occupied by a sheddy Labrador retriever's crate since late 2006.  Talk about a filthy, hairy mess!  I put off that chore until today, knowing that it would make me sick.

And I got to sleep until I awoke on Saturday morning!-- no bratty dog begging to go on a walk or an adventure at the crack of dawn!   Then I spent the day at the Quarterly ESGR leadership meeting at recently rededicated Jackson Barracks, headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard, drowned by Katrina's storm surge and the federal levee failures.

How did all this free time come to be, you ask?  Yep, you guessed it: Pepper and Bouie went hunting!  They had a great 3-day hunt.  Bouie got to flush and retrieve quail, pheasant, and chukker.  (I'm still not quite sure about that chukker thing, but Pepper says they're pretty much like big quail, "but more of a meal," so they shouldn't taste foreign or anything.  I'm still not so sure.  This one looks pretty mean!  Are mean birds tasty?)

After we got the truck unloaded and Pepper was starting to put things away, Bouie sat right beside the equipment.  Even though he's pretty well exhausted ( and starving because he gets too excited to eat during a hunt), he was not about to let his dad put that gear back in the truck and go on another hunt without him!

It's good to have them home.  It was a little too calm around here to suit me.  Plus, I had to come home to an empty house guarded only by a quirky security system and a blind 16 year old shih tzu following my wonderful Girls Night at the Hive!

The hunt came up after we had already bought tickets.  Pepper said he'd come home early if I could't find anyone who wanted to go with me, but my wonderful neighbor came through!  When I called to ask her if she'd like to join me for Girls Night Out, her husband said tat depended on whether he had to entertain Pepper while we went to the game.  Heh.  Her husband has a rather droll sense of humor.

And, Woo hoo!  The Hornets stung the Spurs 96 - 72 as we cheered them on!

Right now, today, there's football!  Granted, it's not the Saints, so it's not nearly as much fun as last year, but I think I'll enjoy football while it lasts.  It's a long time -- and a heckuva lot of baseball to survive -- til August.

A Man, His Dog, Cold Water, and Lots of Ducks Falling From the Sky

Many of you have read about the hunting exploits of Pepper and Bouie, the Retriever Extraordinaire, and have seen his "calendar dog" photos.  I just know you lie awake nights, wishing you could experience "the hunt" in person and watch Bouie do his thing.

Well, I can't send you there in person, but The Son uploaded a couple of videos to the YouTube that he shot shortly after Christmas, so you can at least see Bouie in action cinematically!

They stick, for some reason, but if you wait a few seconds while that little "working, working" cog-looking thingy spins around and around, they'll resume playing.




And thus we have the main ingredient for Duck Gumbo. 

I'm such a proud Mom!!!

More Buses (and Football Players)

Been a little busy on a project today, but here's a little update on buses and Moogie's neighborhood.

While sitting on the front porch with the dogs, I managed to catch a bus making the turn onto the sidestreet by our bedroom.  Imagine the vrooming and roaring up-close and personal.  This afternoon, the driver actually made the turn without having to back up!

The next scenario concerns me a little (say hi to Rosie!).  Sophie Wright now has a football team!  I'm a huge fan of high school football! 

But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the schoolyard at Sophie Wright is asphalt, and usually has buses parked in it.  It's adequate for the guys to stretch and do a little conditioning, but asphalt doesn't exactly lend itself to scrimmaging.  So, the team double-times it a few blocks down the street to Lawrence Square, a little green space park large enough to run a few plays.

Then they walk back to school.  And they disregard the sidewalks and often don't look for cars on the cross street that have the right-of-way.  I've mentioned it to the coaching staff -- I just hope that nothing tragic happens. 

Go Warriors!

Who Dat Gauntlet Flinging

You remember this poster from the run-up to the Saints' remarkable and totally deserved win in Super Bowl XLIV?  When the NFL was getting all horsey about merchandising and the Who Dat Nation picked up the gauntlet?

Another gauntlet has been thrown, this time by some guys claiming to have an enforceable Trademark on the phrase as it relates to the Saints.  Our very clever local cartoonist responded to this ridiculous issue with this strip:

I might add, "... and Dem!"

I also might add after last night's squeaker against the Niners, "Whew Dat!"

There's Football in the Air

It's Game Day!!!!!!!!!!

Sorta.

But, for someone who's seriously ready for football a pre-season game will do nicely, thank you very much.

Geaux Saints! Pluck the Eagles!

He Really Should Take Up Yachting . . . .

And I thought he threw like a girl.

Make him stop!!!!!



Can't you just hear the other leaders of the free world giggling behind his back at various summits like those guys who are filming him on the practice range?

Egad.

Dear Santa, the Saints are on the Path to 13 - 0, so . . . !

Saw this too late for the last Saints - Falcons game. It's perfect for this week.

Our whiz-kid Governor has predicted a 19 - 0 Saints season through the Super Bowl. Let's hope he has a crystal ball stashed somewhere in the Mansion!!

Gotta find me an ample Santa's lap so I can ask him to give the "Bless You Boys" a trip to Miami in February for Christmas!! Bomb those Dirty Birds! Geaux Saints!!!

12 - 0! A Saintly Victory!

TWELVEAN'EAUX!!!

Tweren't pretty, but the Saints are 12 - 0 and have clinched their Division!

Now, Beat the Falcons!!! (By a wider margin that won't drive me back to the blood pressure meds, if you please!)

Who Were Those Guys in Hornets Uniforms?

Oh, please. Someone just shoot me in the head now to stop the pain.

121 - 63. Are you kidding me? Tied for the WORST playoff defeat in NBA HISTORY?!?!?!

I promise you -- that wasn't the Hornets team that took the floor last night; it was the Sophie Wright Middle School girls' team in disguise.

I hope they take at least a high school team to Denver tomorrow.

Hornets v. Nuggets: The Day After

The Hornets team that finished out the game last night was not the same team that began the game. They have to find a path to consistency or the playoffs will not go well. Chris Paul and David West are just two guys -- they can't play all five positions.

Well, maybe they can, but at least not for the whole game! CP3 - MVP!

On a happier note -- I really like it when we get tickets in the suite (a MUCH better vantage point than our regular seats in the nosebleed section!), but I usually wind up with hives on my nose from something I eat there. Last night I avoided the Caesar salad and the gumbo and I didn't get a single hive! Maybe I finally found the culprit.

I hope it's not the gumbo.