The Scoop On Poop Energy

I hope that everyone's having a terrific weekend. Not much of anything going on here. I just wanted to share this with everyone.

Do you dread cleaning out your litterbox? Hate following your dog with the dreaded "pooper scooper"? Well, hopefully in the future there will be an environmental payoff for these loathesome tasks of many pet owners. San Francisco is leading the effort to create a viable energy source from dog and cat poop. Robert Reed, Communications Director from Norcal Waste Systems explains the process in this NPR story. Mr. Reed says pet poop can be converted into green energy to help supply electricity to cities and towns. He also says, "dog poop has 3 times the energy in it that cow manure does." He also says there is, "10 million tons of pet waste in the United States." Now, that's an interesting prospect. Currently they hope to devise a system to collect pet poop from city residents, but right now they are currently collecting from pet care businesses. Just imagine the possibility here. We could further lessen our dependency on foreign oil, simply by scooping pet poop and recycling it. To me, that's a fantastic idea that is not only environmentally friendly, but pet friendly as well. I'll definitely be watching this idea expand with interest.

You go San Francisco!!

Woof Woof!!

Is your dog a talker? Does he/she make funny talking noises? Does he/she growl? Does he/she howl? The University of Sussex is conducting a dog vocalization study. They are trying to figure out what all of the different vocalizations mean. The study is headed by student, Anna M. Taylor of the Centre for Mammal Vocal Communication Research at the Department of Psychology at the University of Sussex. This is too interesting!! I received this information in my Schipperke list serve this morning. Bear ALWAYS has made all of these interesting little noises. He's the first dog that I've owned that does this. After he came to the house, the other dogs started doing it too. What a power of persausion he has. Anyway, they are looking for unique vocal characteristics from different breeds. They have posted a survey on their website and have invited dog owners from around the world to participate. I've entered all of Bear's information. I think the results of this study will be fascinating! To participate in the survey, click HERE. Even though they are only taking vocal recording samples of dogs living in England, they hope to expand the project. The have a very interesting forum board that is open to anyone that would like to join. Maybe through studies like this, we can figure out what our canine friends are trying to tell us.

Sometimes The Oddest Things Make You Smile

Some days you just find smiles in unexpected places. See, I have this student worker. We'll just call him Tom. Tom has this running joke with me. He makes up these creative things, leaves them on my desk, and leaves notes saying they are from the cleaning crew. Sometimes it's stories, sometimes it's just silliness, and sometimes it these:

These little towers are made out of educational color tiles used to help children learn how to count. The are 1" x 1" and these two structures probably used about 200 out of 400 in a set. I have a picture, from last week, of the tower he made me using nearly ALL 400 of them. It was awesome to behold, let me tell you. That one is on my flashcard, which I don't have with me today. I took the above picture with my camera phone, that I ALWAYS forget I have. He says it's a good de-stressor. I say, making something like that would earn me a trip to the looney bin. I always come into work never knowing what I'll find on my desk, but it always makes me smile.

Things That Make Me Happy

Since I seem to have a bit of writer's block lately, I thought I'd try out this idea. So here goes:

Things That Make Me Happy This Week

1. Getting to take my lunch break with my husband.

2. Talking to my Mom everyday.

3. Sitting on the couch at night thinking, "My feet are cold" only to have Fergie stretch out on top of them 2 mintues later.

4. Sitting on the couch with Fergie warming my feet, Bear in my lap, Slate hanging over my shoulder, and Shiloh sitting beside me.

5. Lucy's soothing purrrrrrrrrr in the middle of the night.

6. Getting to swim every afternoon with a group of good friends.

7. Talking to my best friend on the phone.

8. Having dinner with a really good friend who makes me laugh.

9. My 501st friends.

10. Scheduling a little vacation for my anniversary this year.

What has made you happy this week?

This Weather Make My Head Hurt

Boy howdy!! This weather is enough to drive a person insane. In the 80's one week and the next it's like January again. I'm ready for this dreary, rainy, blah weather to go away!! It's given me a splitting headache today, and I don't really know if I'm coming or going.

Our kitty is still missing. I'm just not sure what else we can do right now, besides wait. The rest of the weekend was a very relaxed one. Casey and I just sat around the house on Sunday and watched movies. That morning, I had an enormous cup of coffee that made me fidget all day. So, my relaxation was not as good as Casey's. Since I've cut back on the caffeine, I'm finding that coffee REALLY wires me. Casey took the day off yesterday, and we both attacked the house. He really got a lot done in the spare room, and I took care of the front of the house. We got lots done. Last night, we went by a friend's house and ended up going out for a Mexican dinner. We really like to sit and visit with this friend. So we ended up staying there, until the wait staff practically kicked us out. It wasn't busy or anything. We were nearly the only people in there. Then it was off for home. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with a much more interesting post. Hopefully, my headache will be gone.

It's The Weekend

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far. Everything around here is pretty slow. I'm about to head out in a bit and stock up on dog food. Gotta keep 'em fed, don't want the furries to get restless. Casey and I are in a bit of a quandry today. One of our youngest cats, Phoebe, has gone missing. She's been gone a week. We've searched high and low for her with no sign. We've checked the local city shelter, the county shelter, and of course she's not at our shelter. We've got an ad in the paper. I guess we'll make some signs and put them up over the weekend. I've walked several miles around the neighborhood thinking she might have gotten hurt and tried to go off, but I've found no sign of her. I hate it when one of my crew is unaccounted for. I'm not giving up though. One of the cats I used to have, Randy, went missing one time. He was gone for nearly a month. One day, he just turned up back home. It looked like he had gotten shut in someones garage or storage shed and had finally gotten out. Ya'll keep your fingers crossed that she'll turn back up.

That's about it from here. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I hope that everyone is having a great St. Patrick's day so far. Things have been kind of quiet this morning. For some reason, I'm just really, really tired today. I may have to quietly sneak away and have caffeine pumped into my veins somewhere. Now, where is that coffee I need? Casey and I have no great and wonderful plans for the evening. I think we are going to grab some movies and just relax a little. It's been a very busy week. I think going home and falling out would be a good thing.

I wanted to leave you all with an interesting dog article today. I saw this over at Snowbabies this morning, and thought the story was super cool. In Sheffield England they are training dogs to do house fire rescue. I've never heard of this kind of thing before. L^2, do you know anything about this kind of thing? Anyway, the article is certainly worth a read HERE.

Everyone have a very happy St. Patrick's Day!

Things That Move Me

Have you all seen those Pedigree adoption drive commercials? Oh, I just love those things! I just love that a big company is really getting behind shelters and adoptions. I love that David Duchovny does the voice overs too! He's been so good to help with the cause. Last year, he narrated a documentary all about shelter dogs, Best Friend Forgotten that ran nationally in theatres and on HBO. But that Pedigree campaign really gets me, especially when they show all of those cute little faces and start naming names. Maybe with these commercials running in heavy rotation, a lot more deserving pets will get good homes. The Pedigree site has lots of really cool, nifty things about shelter dogs and all other dogs. You can view the new adoption drive commercials bid on celebrity designed dog tags, and download an adoption guide. You can also see more cute stuff like these print ads:

Here's what the passage says:

We're for dogs.

Some people are for the whales.

Some are for the trees.

We're for dogs.

The big ones and the little ones.

The guardians and the comedians.

The pure breeds and the mutts.

We're for walks, runs and romps.

Digging, scratching, sniffing and fetching.

We're for dog parks, dog doors and dog days.

If there were an international holiday

for dogs, on which all dogs were universally

recognized for their contribution to the quality

of life on earth, we'd be for that too.

Because we're for dogs.

And we've spent the last

60 years working to make them as happy

as they've made us.

Dogs rule.

And you know what, I couldn't agree more. Please support Pedigree as they support us!

Trudge, Trudge, Trudge

Oh, I want to be outside. It's beautiful out there today. This will be the last day for the next several that is this nice. WAAAAAH!!! O.K. I'm better now. Today is just slowly eeking by. I'm just working on my typical daily things. I think after the exciting weekend I had, it's hard to settle back down to bored. There's not much really going on today worth reporting about. So, have a gander at an animal related story from my local newspaper.

And by the way, I'm still creeped out over that whole Life Gems thing!! Hope everyone has a great afternoon.

Things That Creep Me Out!!

My friend Zinia just came over to visit. Somehow, we got on the subject of cremation. We were also discussing different things people do with the ashes, i.e. scattering, urns, boxes, etc. That's when she told me about the strangest I've heard yet!! It's a place called Life Gems. Life Gems takes your dearly departed's remains and sends them through some scientific process that turns them into diamonds!! That's right folks, you now can wear your loved ones as fashion accessories! Well, for a right large chunk of change...hey, people jewlery ain't cheap!! This creeps me out about as much as those pet pillows I posted about last year. And yes, they do have Life Gem for Pets. I guess it's a perfectly normal thing, but it just creeps me right out!!

Spring Fever!

I had such a fabulous little breaky-poo!! The weather was absolutely fantastic! The days were in the 80's and the nights were in the upper 60's. I REALLY have a bad case of spring fever now. Friday was such a beautiful day. Casey and I just piddled around the house. I cleaned a little and he made homemade peach preserves: plain peach and cinnamon peach...yummy. On Friday afternoon, one of our good friends called and we met him and his kids at our local chinese place. After we'd all eaten way too much and visited a bit longer than the wait staff liked, we were headed back home.

On Saturday, Casey and I got up early and went to a little local place called, of all things, Joe's Diner. It has got really fantastic country cooking. We had the country ham breakfast buffet, or as I call it for short: heartattack on a plate. After we managed to roll out of there, it was time to get home and cleaned up. We were off to Clarksville to meet with our 501st friends for a prop party and cookout. Even though rain was forcast, the weather held and it was a lovely day. We had a great time enjoying each other's company and working on Casey's very first armor. Everyone was so busy with a project, and Casey just kept asking for someone to help him put his armor together. Finally, one of our friends said he'd help. He went over and put Casey's armor on him with electrical tape!! It was hysterical! A few people got pictures of it, and I hope to get my hands on a copy soon. I guess Casey will be a little more careful who he asks for help next time. After a long afternoon and night, it was finally time to head back home. We got in around 1:30 a.m. I can't believe that I was out that late! I should have turned into a pumpkin!

On Sunday, Casey and I (since we are old) had to recover from our late night. We just lounged around the house and rested. Casey made homemade beef barbeque and lots of wonderful vegetables to eat. Yesterday, Casey was back to his work routine and I finished up some cleaning projects that I started on Friday. The rest of the day I spent dreading going back to the old routine. It was such a nice little needed break. Hope I didn't miss anything big. How ya'll doin'?

Getting Ready For A Break

Campus is on spring break this week. I've been busy catching up with everything. The nice thing is I also get a long weekend out of the break. So as of today, my work week is over. I've got a nice, long weekend spread out ahead of me. Unfortunately, it seems the weather is doing a nannybooboo on it, but I'm off work just the same. I don't have a lot of plans for the weekend either. I plan on getting the housework caught up, since I was gone all last weekend. Casey and I might head up to Clarksville to a friend's on Saturday to work on his newly aquired Snow Trooper armor. We should have him ready to troop soon. Other than that, we have no real plans. Sunday may just be a movie watching day, who knows? So everyone have a great weekend!! I'll be back posting on Tuesday.

Effects of Urban Sprawl

I've been reading through more pet related articles this morning. I can't believe that I've missed this for so long. As urban sprawl continues and the housing industry keeps booming, neighborhoods are encroaching on areas on which only wildlife resides. One of the problems that keeps coming up is pets keep getting injured or killed in wild animal traps. Click HERE. The idea of this happening is just not something that I've ever thought about. If pets can be so easily trapped, what's to stop humans from being injured. It's like I said, it's not something that I've thought about. I've taken many walks in the wooded areas and never once thought to watch where I was going for the possibility of a trap. I'm also not sure that there is an easy solution out there either. Although several states ban trapping entirely, many still do allow it in some form. My best advice would be to keep pets leashed in an area that might lend itself to this activity. It would seem the best defense against this accident. I guess it would be a case of "KNOW" your area and then "KNOW" your area. It's something I'll definitely think about more. What are your opinions?

More Than Just A Dog To Me

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring -- it was peace. --Milan Kundera

I received this piece from one of my friends that is in animal rescue as well. This piece really speaks the truth to me. There are days that I much prefer the company of my animals to any human. Their love is unconditional and unwavering. They are ALWAYS happy to see me. They can comfort me by simply sitting beside me. Their soft warm eyes can speak volumes to me, even though they cannot utter a single word. They are indeed more than "just a dog" to me. Read on for the story below:

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a Dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand The distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog." Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did Not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man." So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog." just smile, because they "just don't understand."

Author Unknown

Force Filled Weekend

Wow!! My weekend just flew by. I was busy the ENTIRE time. Sunday, Casey and I went to Chattanooga to troop a kids' fair with some friends from the 501st. There was an early morning plan to meet up at 7:00 a.m., so we could be ready to troop in Chattanooga by 10:30 a.m. We made pretty good time, and we were only about 15 minutes later than we had planned. I had no idea that I was in for such a suprise. A friend of mine had an extra costume, a royal guard, that he needed someone to wear (he dresses as the Emperor and needed his guard). He picked me to wear it. It was the first time that I've gotten to actually troop in costume. The costume isn't a complicated one to wear. It's only 5 pieces: helmet, robe, undercoat, forcepike, and gloves. I was suited up and ready to go in a matter of minutes.

1st step.

2nd step.

3rd step.

Almost finished....

TA DA!!!

It was really a lot of fun to be part of the action. So much so, I think that I'm going to make my own Royal Guard costume. After the event, we went and had a great lunch, and soon it was time to head back home.

Yesterday, Mom and I had many doctor's appointments in Nashville. We both got good reports and were quite happy. We had a really nice lunch together and decided to just to knock around Nashville for a while. It was such a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We didn't get in until late afternoon, and I was exhausted.

It seems like an awfully full weekend for such a short post doesn't it? It would take a novel to describe every detail though. I hope everyone had as great a weekend as mine.

More pictures from the trooping event:

Taking a breather.

DOH!

Just being silly.

To see all pictures from the trooping event click HERE.

Just By Reading

I went over to Lindsey's blog this morning to catch up. It's seems just by reading a meme over there, I've been tagged. It's another book meme, and I love those. Here we go:

[1] Name 5 of your favorite books

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Even though it was assigned reading in high school, I utterly love this book. It made such a strong statement to me at the time about tolerance, love, and sometimes life is ugly. Somehow it just said to me “try and make the world a better place”. I spent my time watching the movie, re-reading the book and finally seeing the live production.

2. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – As you all know, I’ve posted about this series for a while now. It was introduced to me by my co-worker, Kim. It’s about a time traveling nurse, Claire, who is thrown from the 1940’s back to 18th century Scotland. It has it all the sci-fi, romance, history, and adventure a reader needs. There are six books in the series: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber,Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes. So far, the characters have been through the Battle of Culloden (the Jacobite uprising) and the following years to the eve of the American Revolution. I just love all of them and can’t put them down. I’m eagerly awaiting the seventh book in the series. My highlight was getting to meet the author with Kim last September.

Me and Kim with Diana Gabaldon, Sept.05.

3. You Are A Dog by Terry Bain – This book just makes me smile. It’s all written from a dog’s point of view. When I look at my dogs, I can just sometimes here them quoting the passage about the vaccuum cleaner!

4. The Bible - While I believe that religion is an individual’s personal choice, this book is the guideline of my life. I do my best to follow it’s teachings.

5. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown – This was the first book that I read after I took a break from college last year. It surely was a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. It rekindled my love for reading, which had been squashed by so much required reading. Also since I’m a history major, I love all of the historical references and stories.

[2] What was the last book you bought?

Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

[3] What was the last book you read?

Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning

[4] Name five books that have particular meaning for you.

1. Ice Cream Cone Coot by Arnold Lobel – A crazy book about everyday objects as exotic birds, i.e. Buttoneyed Bobolinks, Soup Ladle Larks, and the infamous Ice Cream Cone Coot. This was my absolute favorite book as a child. I could read this book myself, by the time I was 3. This is the one that started the whole thing. I still have it, and in the back is a date due slip that I drew complete with number stamps, where I played librarian as a child.

2. Me and My Flying Machine by Marianna and Mercer Mayer. It seems that books made an impression on me at a very early age. I always remember this book, when I’m having a hard day. This boy tries to build a flying machine out of scraps he finds in an old barn. He dreams and lives it, but everything in the world goes wrong. He doesn’t let it get him down though, and in the end he just says, “Tomorrow, I’ll build a rowboat.” I find myself saying that phrase a lot to keep myself going.

3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Timeless tale of book burning and censorship. As a library worker, I try very hard to ensure that everyone has unrestricted access to the books they need and want.

4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne – I read this the same year as To Kill A Mockingbird. Books really spoke to me that year. It’s another good lesson of how dangerous intolerance really is.

5. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster – Even as a young kid, I was a HUGE Star Wars fan. This was the first book published that went beyond the original stories by George Lucas. While reading, you have to keep in mind that Luke and Leia’s family relations weren’t known at the time Foster wrote it.

[5] Three books you are dying to read but just haven't yet.

1. Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.

2. Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn.

3. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

[6] Tag five people to go through this same ordeal

Anyone that wants to play along.

So Sad

How does drug running affect pets? I was shocked and outraged, when I came across this news story from MSNBC. Columbian drug runners used puppies to try and smuggle heroin into the United States. They did this by surgically implanting liquid heroin into the puppies!

At least three puppies died from having liquid heroin packets placed inside them and then being stitched back up, DEA spokesman David Ausiello said.

Luckily, these people have been arrested. I knew about the surgical implants in people, but didn't dream they ever used animals. At least the people involved had a choice. The animals DIDN'T. I can't begin to conceive a punishment that is fitting for these criminals!! It just angers and sickens me. I'm trying not to be hateful and spiteful, but it's really hard for me not to wish the same thing done to these people, against their will. I know that two wrongs do not make a right, but I'd really like to see these people punished! The street value of the heroin is estimated at over $20 million. To read the whole story click HERE.

I think I'll go home and give a LOT of extra hugs tonight!

Reuben Comes to Life!

A little while back, I posted about a wonderful book that Carlos Aleman was illustrating called The Life of Reuben. Yesterday, I opened my e-mail to find that I had a very special treat from Carlos. It seems that Reuben's story is finished. That wonderful book now has it's very own trailer, complete with it's own original score! It is absolutely beautiful! The trailer just makes the book come to life. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get my very own copy. To see the trailer, click HERE .

Chili Supper Wrap Up

All in all, the chili supper went really well. The cafe stayed packed for most of the night. Casey helped out in the kitchen, and I got some of my first waitressing experience. Believe it or not, I didn't spill anything on anybody! I got everybody's order right, but really, how hard was it? It was either chili or corndogs and drinks to remember. Kudos to all of servers out there!!! I have a WHOLE new respect for you. The folks that came to run the karaoke did a fantastic job. We made nearly $100 dollars in the tip jars alone! At one point, later in the night, the karaoke bunch and several tables went in together gathering funds up for the tip jar. They decided to bribe me to sing with a donation. I really took a long time deciding on my song choice. I secretly did this, so a lot of people wouldn't be there. I ended up singing 2 songs. I don't think I did too shabby. I counted back, and it has been 18 years, since I did a solo performance. I was a little rusty. We are still waiting for the final total. We should have it by the end of the week. It really was a fun night for a good cause. A very special thanks goes out to Pope's owners Debra Weaver and Russell Smith for hosting our benefit. If any of you ever get to Shelbyville, drop by Pope's and have a good meal. Tell them Cheryl and Casey sent you.

During the chili supper.

Humane volunteers enjoying a good meal.

Out front having fun with karaoke.

Pope's owners Russell Smith and Debra Weaver.

Back Online

Hey folks!! I think my template upgrade is complete. There may still be a little tweaking here and there. I have to send a HUGE thanks out to Lindsey who came up with the idea and created this uber cool template for me. She has got to be one of the best writers and one of the most talented people that I know. Thank you Lindsey!! I hope you all like the new look. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Oh, and pop on over to Lindsey's and let her know too.