The Return of Silverback

I looked out the window this afternoon and there was Silverback (the woodchuck), sunning himself on the ramp to the shed. It seems as if this garden destroyer fared quite well this winter.

I sent Danny outside. However, at the opening of the door, Silverback ran under the shed. Danny sniffed and sniffed and did not want to leave the shed, so I knew this creature was still close.

Looks like it will be another year of trying to outsmart the woodchuck!

Around town this morning

I occasionally have to go into New York City in the wee hours in the morning. Usually the morning train is filled with dark suit Wall Street banker types trying to get a few extra Z's before they start their day. But today was different. The train was abuzz with talk of Governor Spitzer's indiscretions and how much of a "prick" (their words, not mine) he was to people in their line of business.

"With all his money, you'd think he'd pay cash", one rider joked with his seat-mate.

Getting off the train at 125th Street in Harlem was not that much different. The freebie newspaper hawkers were trying to outdo each other for your attention. "He got nabbed!" won my business over "Read about the Gov's honey!". The cover of AM New York proclaimed "Out With a Bang" and had some local details about Client Number 9's latest purchase. There was even an article suggesting the time may be ripe for NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg to make a run at Albany in the next election.

Everybody had an opinion, even the doctor I was going to see. His comment was "you'd think that if he prosecuted things like this that he should be smart enough not to get caught." Good point.

At the bagel shop on the way back to the subway, one of the construction workers next to me was saying something about Jersey girls being the best in the world. The guy at the counter asked a patron "Do you think she'll leave him?", an obvious hint at Mrs. Spitzer's future.

"Leave him? He'll be lucky if she doesn't STAB him!" to the laughter of the other bagel fetchers in line.

As I got back onto the subway, I spied a copy of that AM New York crumpled up in a ball on the tracks. "How appropriate", I thought to myself as the train steamrolled over it as the whole thing becomes a distant memory. Not so easy for Silda and the kids.

UNC vs Duke - Round 2

We were out of town this weekend and I thought we would miss the UNC vs Duke men's basketball game. This was going to be a great one - UNC is nationally ranked # 1 and Duke #5. It was Duke's Senior Night and after the UNC's loss to Duke earlier this season, the Heels had something to prove.

Did I mention that whoever won the game would win the ACC regular season title ?

It turned out that we were able to watch the game - on a 55 inch flat screen High Definition TV with surround sound. The picture was unbelievably crisp and you could hear the clank of the basketball off the rim

It was a great game with UNC the victor!

Next stop the 2008 National Championship!

GO HEELS!

Spring arrives in Wilton

The first daffodil has appeared in the yard.

The robins are back.

Let spring begin!

The Search for Chip

Danny is a sniffer. On his morning walks his nose is to the ground catching up on what's been going on in the neighborhood. We say he's catching up on his "pee-mail" from the local creatures.

I took him out the other day and he caught wind of a little chipmunk. He dashed for the chipmunk that quickly darted between the rocks in our stone wall. Instead of giving up, Danny went to every crack and crevice sniffing here and there to find the chipmunk. After about ten minutes, I had to pull him off so we could get on with our business.

The first place he visits in the morning is that stone wall. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head saying "I know he went in here...". Meanwhile, the chipmunk is probably four houses away gnawing on a birdfeeder bounty.

Deer Hunter

Danny and I rounded the corner into the back yard when all of a sudden he stopped and his ears perked up. There were 6 deer standing 20 feet away!

Danny took off like a shot, barking as he went. The deer jumped the stone wall and Danny followed. A few yards into the woods, Danny stopped running yet kept barking.The deer did not stop and raced across the neighbor's yard.

The odd thing was that Danny stood there pawing the ground and kicking up dirt while he was barking. Was he trying to cover the deer scent with his own ?

More snow

It seems that Old Man Winter does not want to let Spring arrive. It snowed again last night. Just a few inches, but it still means the driveway and stairs need to be cleared.

As winter continues, the deer are foraging closer to the house. One bush that is planted along the side looked beautiful on Wednesday and was completely bare on Friday.

Scary Moment

Danny and I were playing fetch in the driveway when all of a sudden he ran up the stone steps and collapsed.

I was not sure if Danny had a seizure or just slipped. I ran over to see what was wrong. His head was not bobbing (a seizure symptom) and his eyes were focused. I ran my hands over his body, expecting to hear a yelp of pain if anything was broken. He didn't make a sound.

After a minute or two, Danny gave me a look as if to say "What happened!", got up , walked down the stairs and into the house.

I thought that after his fall, Danny would be sore. So, he got to spend the entire night on our bed.

In the morning my back was sore from Danny's bed hogging, but Danny was perfectly fine.

Fitz and Floyd - Spring

Looking out at the snow, it is hard to believe that Easter is less than one month away.

Easter means it is time to display the Fitz and Floyd spring collection. After many trips back and forth to the basement, the house is now overflowing with bunnies.

Seeing the bunnies reminds me that spring will be here soon.

Costco

I love Costco.

We wanted to switch cellular companies and were looking for new phones. We went to several stores and then stopped at Costco. The phone selection at Costco is more limited than a regular cell store, but Costco had the phones we wanted at great prices and included a free bundle pack (car charger, etc).

We have used Costco travel for great pricing on vacations.

Costco is a lot more than just food, cleaning supplies and paper goods. They have beautfiul flowers and plants and interesting seasonal items.

If Costco sold Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren, I would never need to shop anywhere else.

Danny's new friends

There's only two ways to cope with Winter in Connecticut; embrace it, or spend a month in Palm Desert California. Being that we're stuck here, we embraced it by taking Danny for a walk in Wilton Center on Sunday morning.

While Valerie dropped into CVS to pick something up, Danny and I waited outside. A young couple came out with two little kids who immediately stopped and were glued to "the pretty puppy". The Mom let them look for a couple minutes and then loaded them into the car.

Just as they were driving away, a man with a Golden approached us and said "We just had to say hello!". The other Golden's name was Bodie and he was about three years old. He was a dark Golden, but not as dark as Danny. We exchanged pleasantries while the dogs exchanged sniffs and they were on their way.

As Valerie dropped into the Post Office, Danny decided to take a quick rest, so he jumped up on the bench outside as we waited.

Godiva

I love Godiva chocolate. To be honest, I love all chocolate, but Godiva has become my favorite. Lindt is a close second.

I received Godiva cocoa as a gift and it is fantastic - very rich. For this cocoa you use milk, not water, so that helps enhance the taste.

On a cold day, I can't think of anything better than hot chocolate and a warm fire.

More Snow

More pictures of the latest snow.

In total we got about 10 inches!

Snowy Day

We have not had much snow in Wilton this winter, but that is changing today. When we took Danny out at 6am, there was 3 inches of snow on the ground.

As we walked down the driveway, the birds started to chirp. Jeff said, someone wants breakfast.

As soon as we got back, I filled all the feeders. In this weather, I know the birds will be looking for an easy meal.

There is now about 5 inches of snow.

One of my favorite images is a brilliant red cardinal perched on a snow covered branch. Unfortunately, our digital camera lens is not strong enough to do a good job with distant bird photos.

Basement Light

At the bottom of the basement stairs is a fluorescent light. I think that these lights are ugly, but it is the basement and doesn't really matter. However, when this light is on, it produces a loud high pitch hum.

I don't know if the humming is a serious problem, but I had visions of the light exploding. At a minimum, it was annonying.

So, on the long holiday weekend, we stopped by Lowes and got a new light. Jeff installed it and said we should have gotten two more, so all the basement lights match. For me, if it's not humming, I'm happy.

Watch Bird

We have 7 bird feeders scattered throughout our yard. I used to fill each feeder completely, thinking that the seed would last for several days. However, the deer and raccoons raid the feeders at night and eat several pounds of sunflower each day.

Now, I only partially fill the feeders each morning. What amazes me is as soon as the first feeder is filled, a bird will begin to sing. If you listen closely, the call is picked up and repeated by others. Soon, all kinds of birds are flocking to the feeders.

I am sure all the birds must be somewhere nearby, but I never see them when the feeders are empty. Is one of the birds a sentry who signals when breakfast is ready ?

Furry

While driving on a road near our home, I spotted a woman walking a Golden. My first thought was that this dog could be Danny's brother, they had the same head shape, size and color.

As I got closer I noticed the dog's amazing coat. Danny has long hair on his ears, shoulders and chest, but this dog's entire body was cover in incredibly long, thick hair. The blowing wind teased the hair and emphasized how gorgeous the dog was.

Thinking about it now, I wish I had stopped and asked the woman what her secret was for such a healthy coat. Was it dog food, grooming or just genetics?

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Valentine's Day, I wear a red sweater to work. I thought a lot of people would do the same, but only one other person wore red.

From Danny's red coat to his red collar, he is wearing the color of the day!

Carrots

I was making a salad the other day when a bag of baby carrots slipped out of my hand. Several carrots fell onto the floor and before I could pick them up Danny raced in and began eating them.

It turns out that Danny loves these crunchy vegetables.

Now, when I open the refrigerator crisper, Danny comes running in. I guess his hearing is tuned to more than just the rustle of the potato chip bag.

The Met

The weatherman was predicting a gray and rainy Saturday in Wilton. Tired of too much time indoors or at the local mall, we decided to go to The Met.

We took the 8:30 train to NYC and arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, shortly after it opened.

I haven't been to this museum since college and all I remembered was that it was VERY big.

Our visit started with ancient Egyptian art as we wandered to the American Hall. There was a special exhibit on American silversmiths that we wanted to see. We saw so many amazing things - not just paintings, but Tiffany glass windows, furniture, statues, photos and even clocks. One of the most interesting displays was the medieval armor for both soldiers and horses.

We really enjoyed our time at The Met. Unfortunately, it is so large we only were able to see a small fraction of the exhibits. We both agreed to visit again another day.

The Big Game

The biggest rivalry in men's college basketball will add another chapter on Wednesday, when UNC and Duke play.

Although we are hundreds of miles away from Chapel Hill, we still bleed Carolina blue.

When we lived in Oxford, we knew basketball season had begun when our neighbor would hang their UCONN flag and we would hang out our Tarheel flag.

The Heels struggled Sunday in their win against Florida State. Let's hope that they are more focused against Duke. No matter who wins, all the UNC/Duke games are exciting.

Go Heels!

Beautiful

Danny after he was washed and brushed.

Winter Bath

It has been a few months since Danny had a bath and he definitely needed one. So, we went to the do it yourself dog wash this morning.

Who would think that at 10:30 am on a Saturday, the place would be full. We had to wait a few minutes until a big black lab was dried and a bathing bay was free.

Danny is always a good sport. I don't think he minds the bath, but he did not like the dryer blowing on his face.

Worn out

We had family spend the weekend with us. After two days of running around with the kids, Danny is worn out.

This picture says it all!

Thief

At 6:15 am, I heard something banging on the back deck. I had noticed that the feeders which were full in the evening were empty by morning, so I ran downstairs to see who was stealing our birdseed.

I turned on the deck light and there he was - a raccoon! The lights did not make him move.

I have to give the raccoon credit for his intelligence. He was sitting on the deck railing with one paw was wrapped around the metal caging, to pull the feeder in close. The other paw was scooping seeds out of the hole and putting them into his mouth.

Compared to some of the raccoons I have seen, he was relatively small. However, after a few more weeks of this, I am sure he will be much larger.

Meet Gigi

Readers of this blog will be happy to know that Gigi is not another dog (as if we don't have enough dog pictures already).

No, Gigi is my new portable GPS unit, a Garmin Nuvi 650. Valerie got me this unit for my birthday.

I know, I know, real men use maps. We get lost and pull out the map thinking we know where we're going and confidently charge ahead. Our 30 minute trips take 45 minutes because we have a "back way".

Valerie is, how do you say, directionally challenged. So she decided to get a navigation system with her new car last year. Its great. I never have to worry that she'll get lost going here or there. I've even found myself taking the Lexus when we're going to someplace that we've never been before. It's convenient.

I travel on the weekends to far-flung places that I've never been before. Google maps does a pretty good job of getting me where I want to go, but you miss a turn on those directions and you are screwed with a capitol S. You better hope you have a map of the area and know how to read it.

Gigi is portable so she can go with me in the Honda or the 4Runner. You still have to have an idea of where you are going because she's not perfect. She'll route you down I95 in the middle of rush-hour (a big no-no for those out of the area) and she'll pick the shortest route even if it entails you exiting the highway skipping two exits on a crossroad and getting back on the highway. But if you miss the turn on Bumblebee road, she'll recalculate your course and get you to where you want to go.

But I still carry my maps for backup.

Sleepy

When the alarm goes off at 5:15 am, Danny does not want to wake up.

When he does get up, it is just to hop up on the bed and try to sleep a little longer.

Worn balls

Believe it or not, these tennis balls were recently washed.

I think it is time to put them in the trash.

As you can see,Danny loves to play fetch and is not very gentle with the ball!

Squirrel for lunch

I was in the kitchen at lunchtime and noticed a squirrel on the "squirrel proof feeder". The squirrels are smart enough to know that they can hang onto the shepherd's hook with their hind legs and pick seeds out with their front paws. If a squirrel sits on the rim of the feeder, his weight causes the lip to close and seeds are protected.

I headed to the window to bang on it and temporarily chase away the squirrel. Before I could get to the window, there was a flash of feathers . In an instant a hawk swooped down, flew off and the squirrel was gone! I was stunned and could not believe what I had just witnessed.

It seems that the squirrels do not realize how vulnerable they are when they are stretched out trying to grab sunflower seeds. Obviously, the hawk has figured this out! I began to wonder if the hawk comes for lunch at the feeder every day.

Hawk 1, Squirrel 0

The Darkest Evening

I received the book, "The Darkest Evening of the Year" as a Christmas gift. The heroine in this suspense novel is a woman who founds a Golden Retriever rescue organization.

The book talks a lot about dogs and how we treat them - sometimes with great kindness, more often with great cruelty.

What struck me the most was when Dean Koontz describes the great love and great loss that a dog lover experiences. From the first moment you meet your dog, you know that your time together, whether counted in months or years, will be much too brief.

So, with that in mind, I take a few extra minutes to play fetch with Danny and give him an additional hug.

A Real Golden

We were asked the other day if Danny was a purebred Golden.

I was surprised by the question, as to me it seems obvious from his sculpted head to his tremendous heart that this dog is pure Gold.

It seems as if Danny's extremely furry coat had someone wondering if there might not be another breed in his genes.

Sometimes Danny gets a devilish gleam in his eyes and races around the house - just like our Sheltie used to. So maybe it wasn't such an odd question after all.

Project Upgrade, Phase V

Well, not really an upgrade, more like a replacement.

Last Sunday our microwave started emitting some pretty funky sounds while running. Maybe we could have lived with the noise, but it stopped heating as well.

We spent the afternoon shopping for a replacement. Since the extent of our microwave cooking skills stops at heating vegetables, we knew we didn't need anything fancy.

Our first stop was Sears. We were prepared to get the cheapest black microwave they had in stock. We picked one out, but the sales associate said we wouldn't have it until Wednesday. I knew I wasn't going to install it until the weekend, but I wasn't going through that again. So we passed.

Our next stop was Best Buy. Again, we looked at the microwaves and picked one out. Except they didn't have one in stock either. We passed again.

Finally, we wound up at Lowes. Sure enough, they had a nice basic GE oven in black. And it was in stock. Thirty minutes later, we were on our way back home with the oven in the back.

It took me about two hours to take the old one down and install the new one. Granted, the electrical was already done from the previous oven, so that made it easier. It had a really lightweight bracket that I thought would never hold something that big, but sure enough it's on there pretty solid.

So out of the four appliances in our kitchen, I've replaced three so far. Keeping my fingers crossed for the dishwasher, although I thought it would go before the microwave.

Maddy & Paddy Return

I opened the curtains this morning and thought I saw something moving on the pond. I blinked, looked again and there were Maddy and Paddy (the ducks).

Due to the warmer weather, the pond has not frozen. I was surprised to see the mallards as I thought they migrated south for the winter.

I wasn't sure if these ducks really were Maddy and Paddy until I went to the pond to take a picture. The ducks were not the least bit frightened and swam towards me - perhaps looking for a snack ?

The Moocher

Danny got a nickname when he went on vacation. In certain Long Island circles he's known as "the moocher". Mark commented that Danny could hear a potato chip bag from 4 rooms away.

No way, we thought, he's a good boy.

Lately, while snacking on the couch, he's right there watching our every move. Not obnoxious, but definitely watching intently. If a chip just happens to fall, he swarms around it and gobbles it up in the blink of an eye and he goes back to watching.

Yes, moocher is appropriate.

Customer Service

It seems as if many companies no longer consider customer service a priority. However, I had a very positive experience with Burgoyne.

I received a beautiful set of Burgoyne greeting cards as a Christmas gift. When I opened the box to use the first card, I noticed that some of the cards were missing. I looked up Burgoyne on the Internet and sent an email asking if they could send me the missing cards.

To be honest, I did not expect a reply. So, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to receive a response the next day saying that they would mail the cards to me.

I went to the mailbox today and the cards were there! Thanks Burgoyne.

Cabela's

If you like to hunt, fish, or camp, or are married to someone who does, you have probably heard of Cabela's.

A few months ago, Cabela's opened a new store in East Hartford, Connecticut (across from UCONN's football stadium). I was thrilled that this long awaited store finally opened - mainly because it is much closer than the Cabela's in Hamburg, PA.

The store in CT is smaller than PA. However, it has a nice selection and when Jeff says "Let's go to Cabela's", it is not a 4 hour drive!