Proof of Valerie Driving a Snowmobile

Netflix

I had been considering joining Netflix movie rental for a while. When Cablevision dropped HGTV and the Food Network, it seemed like the perfect time to sign up for a free trial membership.

On Sunday evening, I created a list of movies that I wanted to rent on the Netflix website. On Tuesday night, two DVDs were waiting in my mailbox. Having watched the first movie last night, I put the DVD into its prepaid envelope and dropped it into the outgoing mail.

Once Netflix receives the rental back, my next movie ships. I can't believe how easy the process is. Plus, you can keep a movie for as long as you want. For $14/month, this seems like a good deal. Also, I can download movies onto the computer and watch them.

One thing I don't like is that new movie releases are not available for one month after general availability. Also, a popular release which I selected has a status of "Extremely long wait". I still think the compared to $7 for a movie in the theater, it is worth a try.

Corporate Greed

Capitalism seems like a dirty word these days.  You would think the President would be happy that the companies he helped have turned around and actually started making money.  In fact, they've made huge profits, which Barack Hussein Obama now wants to tax.  His reasoning is the big banks are partially at fault for causing this financial mess.  I disagree with that theory, but I understand the reasoning.

Another contributor to the financial mess of 2008/09 was the Federal Reserve.  They kept rates unrealistically low for longer than they should have.  In fact, some people blame the Fed for bringing us from the Tech Bubble to the Housing Bubble.  Using Mr. Obama's logic, maybe we should tax the Fed's Profit since they are responsible.

Meanwhile, Chrysler is about a year away from being a collector's item and GM has Howie Long on the TV telling you why his Chevy is better than your Honda.  How stupid does he think we are?  Wait, don't answer that, we are the ones that gave GM 5+ Billion dollars for essentially nothing.  And because Obama knows Chrysler and GM will never be able to pay the money back, he thinks taxing corporations that are growing and providing jobs is a good idea.

Only in Washington.

Bud

Finally, there is a bud appearing on the amaryllis!

It seems this Christmas flower may bloom for Valentine's Day

Clingy

Ever since we got back from Alaska, Cooper has been extremely clingy. I am surprised by this, since Coop is usually very independent.

When I am working in the office, Coop wants to be with me. While on a conference call at night, I shut the door, to not be disturbed. Coop laid outside the door and tried to slide his paw underneath it. If I sit on the bed or the couch, Coop will paw at me to get petted.

I am hoping that this behavior is Coop's way of saying that he is glad to be out of the kennel. I worry that perhaps Coop is not feeling well. However, Coop is still eating and is ready to chase any bird or leaf in the yard.

Leaves

The amaryllis continues to grow. As you can see, the leaves are getting long, but there is still no flower.

Jeff says, "What do you expect for $5?"

I am still hopeful that this small bulb may eventually bloom.

There Was Never a Year like 09

Jon Stewart Poking Fun at Chris Dodd

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Donkey Gone
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Gone in 60 seconds

Cooper and Otis received some new toys for Christmas.

Stuffed toys have a very short life in our house. In less than 2 minutes, this was all that was left.

There is no such thing as an indestructible toy. Even Kong's have been destroyed by our pups.

Christmas Spider

Since we were out of town for Christmas, we are still receiving Xmas gifts.

Our LI family, sent us a beautiful green glass spider. I had never heard the Legend of the Christmas Spider, until I received this unique gift. The story says that awed by the beauty of a Xmas tree, spiders climbed into it and covered it with their webs. Santa then turned the webs into silver and gold tinsel which is still placed on trees today.

I think the spider is too beautiful to put away until next Xmas. It is now hanging in the kitchen window. Green is our nieces favorite color and I think of our family whenever I see it.

Be Careful What You Wish For

As you've already heard by now, Christopher Dodd has decided not to run in 2010 for his Senate seat.  With Dodd in the race, there was a pretty good shot that either Linda McMahon or Rob Simmons would beat him out.  Now that Dodd has stepped aside, Richard Blumenthal has announced that he is running as the Democratic candidate for the seat his friend currently occupies.

Mr. Blumenthal enjoys a very healthy reputation in the state.  The Republicans will now fight it out for the right to go up against the hand-picked candidate from the Democrats.  It's not looking good for the GOP.  Perhaps Mr. Simmons should bow out and give the better candidate his support.

Nice play, donkeys.

A caller on one of the AM talk shows this evening wondered what would happen to all the money that Obama raised for Dodd's reelection campaign.  Lets see, a corrupt politician already proven to think he is one of the "special people"?  Any guesses?

Boots

When we were in Alaska, everyone complained about how time consuming it was to get their boots on and off. I just laughed, because my kid boots do not have laces; they simply slip on and off.

When we were in Anchorage, we stopped at 6th Avenue Outfitters. In the store window was a children's winter clothing display, which included my Sorel boots! I told Jeff that I must be one of the cool kids ;)

These are just some random pictures from Alaska (Bettles, North Pole, NP, Fairbanks).

Are we famous yet ?

I always wonder if anyone outside of our family reads this blog.

Well, two surprising things occurred recently. First, we received a mention in the Hartford Courant's courant.com under "Websites I missed". While I did not understand the reference to a CT based movie (Ice Storm), my thought is any press is good press.

Secondly, it seems our tiny blog was noticed by Wilton Patch.
The editor asked if I would like to write for them. If only I had the time!

Who knows, maybe someone will see Cooper and Otis and want to hire them in a dog food commercial. After all, they must be the most famous Goldens in Wilton!

In honor of the recent publicity for the blog, we've changed the masthead to something a little more recent.

Brothers

Coop and Oti were laying back to back, both sound asleep in the living room.

Suddenly, Cooper began to cry out, perhaps due to a bad dream. Oti awoke and laid his head on Coop's shoulder. Pacified, Coop stopped crying.

Oti waited about 30 seconds. When he was sure that Coop was sleeping peacefully, Oti put his head back on the carpet.

I guess protecting each other is what brothers do.

Aurora & Shooting Stars

Here are some pictures of the Aurora Borealis that we saw on Wednesday morning. All four pictures have shooting stars in them.

The first time I saw a shooting star in Alaska, I thought it was a rare occurrence. But the more time you spend in complete darkness without any light pollution, the more you see. In fact, you can see a couple shooting stars every minute.

Also notice how many stars there are. The night sky is incredible in complete darkness.

Bettles Lodge

We had lots of fun at the Bettles Lodge while in Bettles, Alaska. We took a tour of the National Parks Service building where we learned about the history of the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Of course, there were lots of outdoor activities to take part in like taking a Snow Machine ride (somewhere in the last 20 years snowmobiles became snow machines) or a walk in snowshoes. On the last day of your visit you will find yourself sitting by a bonfire making s'mores.

The town has a population of 25 people. I think we met most of the people, as they came to the Lodge for coffee and conversation.

There is no road into Bettles. All supplies must be flown into town. Typically, two flights a day land in Bettles, one carries the mail. To have cargo shipped on a plane costs 40 cents a pound. As you can imagine, this greatly increases the cost of groceries and other necessities.

Oti's Ornament

Each of our dogs has a Christmas ornament. I like to hang these ornaments close together and remember the wonderful times we shared with our beloved pets.

Last year our Westport family gave us a dog ornament that resembled Cooper with his yellow coloring and silky ears. This year, we received Oti's ornament - a dark red dog hugging a bone. Oti LOVES bones, so this is a perfect ornament for him!

Jeff had said before Xmas, we need to get an ornament for Oti. It seems that our Westport family has ESP.

Christopher Dodd is in the Top 10

Well, top 10 of the most corrupt politicians:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2009/dec/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2009

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 "Ten Most Corrupt" list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him. In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat. In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against Dodd for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms. Judicial Watch's complaint forced Dodd to amend the forms. However, press reports suggest the property to this day remains undervalued. Judicial Watch also alleges in the complaint that Dodd obtained a sweetheart deal for the property in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon (during the Clinton administration) and other favors for a long-time friend and business associate. The false financial disclosure forms were part of the cover-up. Dodd remains the head the Senate Banking Committee.

Christmas In Ice

When in Fairbanks, we stopped by to see Santa at North Pole, Alaska. This year, BP sponsored an ice carving event called Christmas in Ice. Here are some of my favorite images.

The temperature at night was -36°, so there is no need to worry about the ice melting.

Broken Signal

Our dog trainer calls Otis a signaler. This is a term for a dog that alerts the pack to danger or something new in their area by barking.

Oti is a big dog with a deep, loud bark. This sweet boy can sound fierce when agitated.

When driving home from the kennel, Oti whined but the sound was so muted you could barely hear him.

Later in the day, Coop and Oti received their Xmas gifts. Oti got excited and tried to bark, but all that came out was a strangled cough. It seems our signaler is hoarse from all the barking at the kennel.

Coop on the other hand is still as loud as ever!

I can picture Oti barking as the other dogs in their wing entered and left the kennel. Since the big dogs all get to play together, I am sure there was a joyous chorus during this time.