My dog is deaf so I have hand motions I use to let him know when he can go “bye-bye” with us or if it is time for him to simply doo his “doo-ty”.  Problem is that I use the same signals when he’s outside dooing business and should come back in or when it’s time for us to leave or when it’s time to eat.  I don’t think he quite gets it.  I just spent the last 10 minutes figuring that our poor neighbors probably wonder if I’m practicing to be a tarmac airport employee directing a plane down the runway.  I know I look odd.  But, as I became introspective about these hand signals, I had a funny thought.  Zippy spends a majority of time ignoring my desperate attempts to motion him back inside.  The hand motions DO NOT work–and an outsider would guess that he is not only deaf, but blind too.  Maybe my dog just likes to play with my mind and act oblivious to my most obvious gestures.  I guess it wouldn’t surprise me, also, to know that everyone else, including my dog and neighbors, know better and they’ve probably already accurately assessed that I’m just motioning myself to the loony bin.  And after even further introspection, I had to come to grips with an even more convicting thought: If the hand signals don’t work (except to go bye-bye), why on earth do I continue to look like a fool?  Sigh.

No power at home.
Cold shower No lights No fridge.
I look worse than death.

I’m now back to work.
Hiding in my cubicle.
Hoping NO ONE sees.

Flashlights and Candles.
Tuna & Tomato Soup.
I could be much worse.

Krista & her young ‘uns, Michael & I took a walk last night and were amazed at the many downed lines and trees in our neighborhood.  According to our local newspaper, more than 230,000 Louisville Gas & Electric customers were without power this morning–including us!  I’ve never seen wind like I experienced yesterday–UNBELIEVABLE.  Michael says we’re making a memory.  I just wonder when I’ll be able to degrease my hair .  We are thankful for our safety.  There are so many more in Texas without power–in a hotter climate & with more humidity, who are not even capable of taking ANY shower at all.  My brother is one of those individuals.  I keep praying for the situation down there & am comparatively thankful for ours.  If you do have electricity today, flip the light switch on and off a few times for me!

(P.S.  Isn’t it amazing how even though you know the power is out and even though you know electrical appliances won’t work , you still try to turn them on?  Why is that?  Habit?) 

My husband and brother participated in a mini-triathlon over the weekend.  I was worried about a potential bike malfunction (the hills are torturous) or a triathlete death (neither trained for it), but they both pulled through and finished!  YEAH, boys!

The swim is first– A smile from Ross.

Michael working hard.

Michael finishing his swim.

The Bicycling is second.
Ross posing for the camera before he hit the road.
 
Using the camera time stamp= My ingenious  way of figuring out how long the guys had been gone on their bike ride…If only I could calculate in my head with better accuracy…

Michael= almost done with the bicycling.

Ross= almost done with the bicycling.

Running is last.
Michael heading to the finish line!

Almost there, Ross!

Group shot of the participants and cheerleaders!
 
The End!

 

Camping.  There is something refreshing, relaxing, and rejuvenating about camping.  I love being in nature.  But there are several things about camping that I don’t love : Being too hot, Being wet from RAIN, Horseflies, Bees, Flies, And Rodents.

Overall, however, the good outweighs the bad, and I thoroughly enjoy a relaxing camping trip.  Maybe it’s because I can curl up in a camping chair with a good book and read until dark…Maybe it’s because Michael does a large part of the cooking…Maybe because it’s just nice to get away from “normal.” Whatever the case, I usually love it, except for the previously mentioned list. 

I think I get so annoyed at the list because I don’t like being uncomfortable.  And it seems as if the list goes out of its way to try and rob me of my comfort.  I think Michael secretly wishes he had video footage as he watched me do a crazy dance to avoid a horsefly while camping.  I’m also sure our campsite neighbors wish they had one for the following story…better yet, they probably wish they could remove the haunting mental images….they were sleeping, anyway (I HOPE!)   
 
Quiet hours= 10:00 p.m.
The setting of this story= 10:30ish.
 
The campfire had died down and Michael and I were lying out under the stars.  Zippy was about 15 feet away, snoring comfortably on a Tupperware, without a leash.  I started getting antsy, playing the “what if” game.  What if…a rodent came and tried to scrounge around and get some of the cobbler we had just made?  what if…he woke Zippy up?  What if…the animals got in a fight?  What if…what if…what if?  I decided perhaps we should move Zippy to the tent, which we did.
 
It was then that Michael and I debated what should be our next course of action to get ready for bed.

Option #1: Going to the bath house would require the car BUT since it was ‘quiet hours,’ we wanted to be respectful of the neighbors. 
Option #2: Taking sponge baths in the spigot adjacent to our campsite– convenient and quiet, but COLD. 
The sponge baths won.
 
I was at the spigot, taking a ‘fairly significant’ sponge bath, when Zippy decided he didn’t want to be in the tent and grumbled a little (not a full-fledged bark, but if you ignore it, it will become one.)  Michael proceeded to the tent to quiet Zippy.  I walked to the car and used the hood as a ledge to store my clothes while drying myself.  All of the sudden, Michael turned ON the lantern.  Now, remember, I was still in my FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT status (Now, in case you are scratching your head: Fairly Significant and lights DO NOT MIX)!  This very brief moment of revelation caused me to drop to the ground and give Michael the best “quiet hours” scolding that was quietly possible regarding keeping the lights off while I’m fairly significant.  Meanwhile, Michael started whispering and frantically pointing to the spot where Zippy had been, not 5 minutes prior!  He shone the Mag-lite to the area, and RIGHT WHERE ZIPPY HAD BEEN is a S-K-U-N-K eating the remains of Zippy’s dog food–and only 15 feet from MY CURRENT LOCATION!  eek!
 
This put me in a little bit of a hysterical tizzy, quickly debating if clothes were worth the effort.  Deciding against them, I scurried to the tent, still in my ‘fairly significant’ state but with an improvised towel.  Michael and I stayed banished to the tent for quite some time as the skunk enjoyed the remnants of my dog’s dinner.  He was in no hurry to help with my comfort, and I was in no hurry to bother him for my clothes! 
 
And that my friends, is why rodents are on my “Reasons-I-DO-NOT-LOVE-CAMPING” List!