RIP Topaz

Poor old "Spaz"... she was a good and loyal dog.Topaz came here about 11 years ago. She was Martin's Mom's retired guide dog. You never saw a dog that enjoyed a meal more. She loved food. Be it out of the trash can, pizza box. Never picky. Good friend to all the dogs and cats. These pics were taken by Martin today before he took her in to be put down. 14 years is a long time for any dog, quite long for a lab. Especially a big dog like her. She went peacefully. Say hi to Binky, Spike and Tuffy for me Spaz. I will miss you, baby girl.

Cuteness

Romeo and Topaz share a saccharine moment.

Addition: Topaz is Martin's Chocolate Lab- His mother's retired seeing eye dog. A grand old lady of dog, whose hobbies are getting in the garbage, eating garbage, playing, eating garbage, barking and eating garbage. She is rather old right now probably not much time left. As she is Martin's dog not mine is why I don't write much about her. I have written about her in the past as the "Spaz".

Lentil Burgers, Spaghetti and envelopes: The Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Week 35
Plant Something:Just some Salad Mixture Sprouts
Harvest Something: Salad Mixture sprouts, Lentil Bean Sprouts, mung bean sprouts
Preserve something: Cooked a large amount of rice and froze the leftovers for Topaz, Martin’s chocolate lab who is having some food issues (it’s hell being an old dog)
Store something:Nothing, except froze the rice
Manage Reserves: Bought some fence boards to repair the fence
Cook Something New: Spaghetti with Guiltless Meat Sauce; Red-Icculus’ Vegetarian Lentil Burgers
Prep Something: Made some more sprouting jars- this time out of mayonnaise jars and just drilled holes in the lids for air.
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair: Did very well on Ms. Chicken’s Food waste Challenge this week (see below); I learned how to make envelopes out of catalogs! Put some crap from cleaning out the garden boxes in the composter along with the last of my mom’s garden stuff. Kept a mayonnaise jar out of the recycling by re-using it as a sprouting jar

Learn a New Skill: I learned how to make envelopes out of catalogs!

Work on Community Food Security: Put up a giveaway this week for the “wonders of Sprouting booklet I got with my sprout order from Canada.

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: There was very little sustainable buying this week. I went to the NW Flower and Garden show, and attack of the vendors. I just bought a junk art sign that says welcome (couldn’t find one that said GO AWAY!), some seed ballz, lunch at Tully’s, and saw many projects for the house and garden. I also bought some fence boards to repair the wooden part of the fence. But that is repair so I don’t know if that counts or not

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Still at 55/65. Still freezing my avocados off.

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge:
This was a really good week- no food waste at all. Yay me! The only problem I have is my mom- she has decided to send all her leftovers to work with me. Not so easy not to have food waste with extra bowls of spaghetti to eat as well. But I ain’t complaining. Chile was a big help by mentioning that I could grind down those unpopped kernels of popcorn and use them in corn bread!
Sunday- No food waste
Monday- No food waste
Tuesday- No food waste
Wednesday- No food waste- took some leftover spaghetti and garlic bread for lunch at work
Thursday- No food waste- took leftover Lentil Burgers for lunch at work
Friday- No food Waste
Saturday- No food waste

May I introduce ROMEO

Here is the dog formerley known as Romi. I renamed him Romeo. Just so I could see the looks on my neighbors faces when I am outside yelling " Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo?"
It takes so little to amuse me.
He is a bundle of energy, not unlike the Jack Russell two houses down. He met Topaz the labrador. All is fine there. She didn't get all crochety about him being around. Sammy the cat is another story. He looked at me when I brought Romi home and the expression on his face was "What the hell is THAT???" Now Romeo is sleeping on his spot on my bed. That will go over big!
We have already had our first go out to Petsmart and a little later we will walk around the neighborhood. It is good to have a dog again!

Goddam snow!

Well it was bound to happen.... it fricking snowed. Which is not a good thing in Seattle. People out here, due to the lack of the white stuff, cannot drive in it. And they should not drive in it. But this street where I work is in line with Southcenter. A huge damn shopping center. Where hundreds of folks were on the road today to go shopping. At Christmas. They get on the freeway, all scared and white knuckled on their way to get to Toys R Us or Macy's or JC Penney or Sears.

And when it snows, my job changes from plumber to Snow removal. At least I get to drive a Big old diesel Bobcat especially outfitted for snow removal. Or I run a Snow Blower, which I fear, as my uncle Russ had a heart attack and died while running a snow blower. Irrational, but it works for me.
Then I get home where it snowed twice what is in the picture, let the dogs out. Topaz acts like a puppy, Spike- well let's put it this way - sinks up to his, ....err... privates. Makes it hard to go potty. I had a pic but my camera phone didn't take it well. And sammy cat snuck out the front door, stopped, and did a 180 back into the house. Sammy hates the snow. Cant say that I blame him.

BUILDING COMMUNITY: Actually talking to my neighbors

My Neighborhood
(The "A" is on my garage)




Today I learned a lesson in "Building Community" - I talked to one set of my neighbors- Their dog, Picadilly got out of their fence and came to visit Topaz, the Chocolate Lab at our house affectionately known as "Spaz" or "Stu" (short for stupid). Well after about 20 minutes of Picky energizing with all that Jack Russel enthusiasm, it was time to pick her up and take her home. There her family was working in the back yard amongst some tomatoes that I immediately became enamored of. So we got to talking about the neighbors, the trees in the neighborhood, their garden, my garden and septic tanks(they had to replace theirs a couple of years back).
So in short, I thought about all the things Melinda says about building Community, and I thought to myself- Hmmm community building starts with saying hi to your neighbors! So maybe we should all be less shy and start saying HI! to our neighbors.
When I lived in the mobile home park, oh 10 years ago- it was fairly easy- your neighbors where there, like it or not, and we were a close knit community- but in 10 years here, I don't think I could give you any names of my neighbors. That is sad on my part. So here is to seeing my neighbors and actually conversing with them!