The second half of this year is just zipping right along. My slow-to-adapt brain is still getting used to fall and maybe October and voila, it’s already time to turn the clocks an hour back. For however long it lasts, it’ll be nice to walk into the office while the sun’s still out.
Wooman, put stoopid camera down and bring dry grape snacks.
Dis not rayzin.
Gimme.
Even though I’d read that they’re hypoallergenic pets, I think I’m allergic to them. Or at least their dirty litter. And no, it’s not because I don’t want to change their litter, but really, I don’t want to change their litter. I’ve always suspected it because lately, I’d been blowing through boxes of tissues, and it’s mostly at home. Last Saturday when we went to my aunt’s house and I saw how some of my cousins’ started sneezing and blowing their noses in reaction to her cat, it made me even more suspicious that it’s probably the chinchees, because that’s how I react, at least until the litter’s changed. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to cook ‘em and eat ‘em. First two to comment get the pelts.
Assateague Island is a quick 30 minute drive from Ocean City. It’s a national park with wild horses (or ponies). They are genetically horses but they’re the size of ponies because they’ve adapted to the harsher environment of the island. There are about 120 horses on the island currently and the theory is, they got there because the locals released them on the island to graze so they wouldn’t be taxed for owning livestock. And they eventually went feral. These horses are beautiful.
And even though they say they’re wild, I think they’re so used to people that they aren’t afraid of going near people. In fact, we saw a group hanging out all around the campers. They probably get treats from the people even though they’re not supposed to.
The beach on Assateague is a lot more secluded than at Ocean City. I think the water was still too cold though. Not many people went in.
There are also many mosquitoes on the island. We took a quick walk around the marsh areas to look for horses and got bitten a few times. We found a horse though!
I am going to tell you why this here water kettle sucks.
It’s pretty, it’s good in a pinch, but the engineers in Germany didn’t think this one through. But first, a cute picture of Marco being cute and staring at me while I’m sitting at my desk.
I’m still keeping it though, in case the electric one breaks. That is what potholders and dishtowels are for.
Today feels like Saturday because I had to work yesterday and we have Monday off for the holiday. For lunch, we went to the Cinema Drafthouse to see Tangled and have greasy bar food and beer. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a movie in the theater, I think the last one was a year and a half ago. And it was a Disney princess movie! And a new place I’ve never eaten. We had fried mac n’ cheese appetizers and nachos. I loved the movie. I mean ok yeah it’s stupid Disney princessy and the story is all jacked up but still, I just like the fairytale la-dee-da escape from reality! And the mac n’ cheese triangles were dangerously yummy.
This afternoon I attempted to do my taxes. I think I’m done but I’m going to sit on it a bit in case anymore forms come in. Taxes are such a chore. I needed to relax afterwards with some chinchilla-mania.
Marco’s attacking the water bottle for some reason.
Gina (on the left) can’t figure out what the interest with the water bottle is either. I love my crazy chinchees.
We’re headed to sunny Florida in a couple of days. I can’t wait to get out of this cold weather and dark mornings. We don’t have a lot planned but that’s perfect. Just relax, maybe go to the pool. We’re also planning to see some alligators at a reserve called Shark Alley. No one knows why they called it Shark Alley when it’s really to see gators. Oh well. I’m hoping maybe I can try some alligator dishes.
I’ll miss you Marco & Gina!
We spent 4 hours freezing in the cold outside for another dog adoption volunteer event. I shouldn’t say we. I wimped out after 2 hours and went into the PetSmart to warm up, hold the puppies, and pet the kitties. I was cold to the bones! Even many of the dogs were dragging their butts on the ground when their handlers wanted to take them back outside after a few minutes break in the store. The dog I got, Jumper, had an interested adopter in less than a couple of minutes. I think the family had read her profile and came specifically looking for her. I saw later on the adoptors’ sign up sheet that 2 families were interested in Jumper. So for the rest of the day I wandered around petting other peoples’ dogs and played with the other dog we walked, Bilbo.
Bilbo is probably a 2 or 3 year old dog. He’s a lab mix rescued from Puerto Rico. I think he likes women or he likes jumping on them. Maybe it’s a machismo thing. Anyway, he’s 52 lbs and a good dog. Quiet as can be. A little shy at first but loves the company of other dogs. He was making friends there and being such a sweetie.
In the end, 8 dogs were adopted. Bilbo is still available though!
After that, we went to Coastal Flats for an early dinner. It’s a Great American Restaurant, so consistent with their line of restaurants, the menu was simple and the food was good.
This crab imperial dip disappeared so fast!
We also ordered the lobster roll with acorn squash and sweet potato fries. I’ve never had a lobster roll before so it surprised me that the filling was cold. It makes sense though, I mean all that mayo. The acorn squash was delicious, topped with cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and candied walnuts.
And the pecan encrusted trout with couscous. I liked the pecans.
Yesterday we went to a local pet store to volunteer at a Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation adoption event. Volunteers are paired with a dog and we walk around outside the store waiting for some folks to come check them out and maybe take them home. I’ve never had a dog so I was a bit nervous about how these animals would behave. I was concerned with big dogs or aggressive dogs but I think every dog was incredibly well socialized and friendly towards everyone (though not necessarily other dogs). The dog I got was Tibby, a 15 pound spaniel mix. She had the sweetest disposition, completely calm, secure, and very affectionate. She never barked the entire few hours I spent with her, even when other dogs started barking. She wasn’t scared of loud cars, young kids that came up to her, big dogs, small dogs. She was just mostly the quiet observer. I think one person even joked that she was given sedatives, she was such a cool cucumber. When I went to take a photo of her, I learned of her weakness.
Belly rubs!! When I stooped down she rolled over and that was it. She started doing it every so often. And I noticed she wasn’t sensitive to me touching her paws or anything. She didn’t seem abused. At first I was worried her calmness gave other people, especially kids, the impression that she was aloof, but when one family came by, with 3 kids, I showed them her weakness and they fell in love with her. After walking around to visit all the other dogs, they came back and said they wanted to take her home. Yay for Tibby! The father seemed reluctant because he said he was allergic but I think the rest of the family had already fallen in love. Especially the 2 girls. They carried her around like a baby and she seemed to enjoy that. I think I heard the wife telling him that there’s a 2 week trial but gosh, when they walked out of the pet store with a new pink leash, name tag, and doggy bed, I got the feeling this was a keeper. At the end of the event, on our way home, I kinda’ wished I had taken her home. She would’ve been the perfect lap dog to watch House Hunters with. I think we kinda’ bonded for the short amount of time we spent together. But I know she’ll have a better doggy life with that family than us. We’re out so many hours and with the 3 kids to shower her with affection, she’s going to be living in the lap of luxury. And given that she’s a calm & quiet dog, I think even their dad will grow to like her because he was pretty much the same way too.
The other dog we met was Houdini, a hound mix. He was about 40 pounds and also very calm and quiet. Never barked the entire time. I think due to his size, people worried that he would be harder to keep. His bio read that he needed a fenced in yard at least a 6 feet tall. Gosh, he would’ve been a nice dog to have too.
Volunteering for this was so much fun. I basically got to pet doggies and kitties all day. If I’m ever in the market for a dog, I’ll want a grown dog and I’d definitely look at these adoption events. The animals this organization handles were all rescued from about-to-be-euthanized situations. They keep them at a ranch in the sticks of Virginia and are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on their vaccinations.
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