Obedience School for Jan

Cyndi:  That doesn't look like a Funny Farmer.  What is it doing in today's post?

Merci:  We saw it on our walk last week.  We thought it was kind of a neat shot.

Cyndi:  What's neat about it?  It's a broken down old building, a pile of rocks and a big truck.

Merci:  Ah, but that truck is finally carting off some of the rock piles on the mill property.  There wasn't any work done there for about a year but they are finally back to trying to clean it up.

Cyndi:  How long will that take - about a week?

Merci:  I think it's going to take a lot longer than that.  You ought to help us walk Jan one day and you could see the mill for yourself.

Cyndi:  No, thanks.  I'm allergic to mills.

Merci:  You must mean pills.  You can't be allergic to mills.

Cyndi:  Okay, I'm allergic to walking with you dogs.  I've heard Jan's a handful.  Pulls on the leash, wanders off in the wrong direction, stops at the most inconvenient times to breathe ... I mean, who needs to breathe while walking?

Merci:  You're right.  She needs to go through Obedience School.

Cyndi:  Good luck with that.

Merci:  We tried once.  The receptionist asked questions such as is Jan housebroken, well-socialized, does she get into the trash,  does she bark at passersby, and does she know basic commands? 

Cyndi:  And?

Merci:  She said Jan sounds like a good prospect.  Then she asked if Jan howls when an emergency vehicle passes with siren blaring, and we had to admit she doesn't.  The receptionist cleared her throat and asked does Jan have any strange quirks.  I asked if howling at the answering machine counts and the woman hung up the phone.

Capital Hockeysticks

Cyndi:  Who is this dog?

Merci:  Do you remember when we dogs were attacked on a walk about three weeks ago?  (Rescued)

Cyndi:  Yes.  Was this one of the dogs?

Merci:  At the time Buddy and I were too terrified to remember anything, but the next day Marcus reminded us that this dog was often tied in the front yard when we walked on the other side of the street. And it had gotten to where it was so highly excited when it saw us, it would keep racing to the end of it's tether and leap into the air barking like crazy.  A day or two before, Jan commented that she hoped the dog would never get loose because we seemed to upset it.

Cyndi:  It's a funny looking dog.

Merci:  Yes, it is.  It's been moved to the back side of the yard.  There's a drop there and he can hear us but he can't see us unless he jumps.  So when we get about half a block away, he starts leaping into the air.  He looks so funny appearing and disappearing.  Jan had to take the pictures with the zoom and of course she can't see what she's taking a picture of, so out of three photos, we have 1 3/4 pictures of him.

Cyndi:  You three have too many adventures for me.  I'm happy to stay home.

Merci:  He seems a bit calmer back there.  Perhaps all that leaping exercise tires him out.  He has a family and the kids love him (or her), so we hope he and Marcus never come face to face again.  Jan sure hopes that.  She is old and as she has said, it hurts like "capital hockeysticks" to be yanked around like that.

Cyndi:  I think we would all be in agreement if I say what we're thankful for this week is that we're together, our tummies are full, we have heat, and our phone and internet are working.

Merci:  Unless they're broken again.  What?  I'm just saying.


We are joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home. 

Long Distance Internet Epidemic

Percy: This is Rusty.  He's a bit daffy.

Rusty:  I am not daffy.

Percy:  Than why were you licking water off the windows this morning?  By the time Jan grabbed the camera, you were making biscuits in your bed.

Rusty:  It was freezing cold outside.  It was somewhat warmer inside.  Therefore, there was water on the windows in front of the desk.  The window was closer than the water bowl in the kitchen.

Percy:  As I said, Rusty is a bit daffy, but that does make sense. 

Merci:  We've been absent quite a bit this week.  First the t-storm on Monday, then our internet went out Wednesday afternoon till Thursday morning.

Cyndi:  And then our internet went out again from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning.  Mr. Doug's internet went out too.  There was an epidemic.

Merci:  An epidemic is an outbreak of disease.

Cyndi:  Well, there were a lot of humans breaking out in dis-ease over the lack of internet! 

Percy:  And worse.

Rusty:  What could be worse?

Percy:  There was no long distance service either.  Local only.  Landlines and cell phones.  Not that we have a cell. 

Merci:  It's been strange around here this past week and it hasn't just been our phone / DSL provider having problems.  Our internet came back on yesterday morning but Mr. Don from Jan's church lost his until the afternoon. 

Cyndi:  So if we disappear again, we hope we will be able to return before spring.  Or tomorrow.  Whichever comes first.

Rusty:  Tomorrow will come first.

Cyndi:   But when Jan called support, she was told this might persist intermittently until the problem is fixed, so if the problem returns, spring might arrive sooner than tomorrow.

Percy:  This confusion is giving me a headache.  Why can't we just say we'll be here unless we aren't?

Merci:  You just said that.

Percy:  Good.  My brain needs a nap. 

Cyndi:  There's a rivulet of water running down the bottom right window pane if you're still thirsty, Rusty.