DUCHESS, THE WANDER DOG

It is with a heavy heart to report that our neighbor's beagle, Duchess, had to be put down due to internal bleeding and injuries suffered when she came between a doe and her two fawns and the doe pounced on her with her hooves.

That's life up here. Even the most timid of creatures can turn into the aggressors. Many pet dogs have died this way. No matter how big or small, it can and it will happen. The deer is defending its young.

When we first moved into our home a couple of years ago, Duchess was there to greet us with tail wagging and those "beagle looks."

You knew she was in the area because of her "calling card" on the gravel at the bottom of our steps. I knew it was there, and sometimes my wife would step in it by accident, and I would get yelled at for not cleaning it up.

"Honey, you knew it was there."

"Maybe I should rub YOUR nose in it. Would you please clean it up next time?!"

I allowed Duchess to enter the house by leaving the front door open. There were occasional ear piercing screams emanating from the bathroom area when my wife opened the door and there was Duchess sitting with her tail wagging. Then you could hear, "GET OUT!" and out comes Duchess waddling out the front door and scurrying for comfort from me.

She had full access to the property. I considered Duchess to be a reincarnation of my late FIL...always looking to see what was going on and what progress was being made. She would occasionally check to see what I was doing and making sure I was okay. I would say, "It's Duchess, the wander dog," and pat her head and scratch her back. Afterwards, she would go wandering around the house and then head to her home.

We sometimes left her some wet and dry dog food. She like the wet because she was getting up there in her years and it was easier for her digestion.

I don't have a picture of her, but she will not be forgotten.

If there are showers in heaven, don't be alarmed. It's just Duchess, the wander dog.

We will miss her.

BATHROOM COMPLETE

Yes, it is off center in relation to the sink and grout line, but it is centered on the cabinet! Oops! Who is going to notice anyways? Us!

RETIREMENT "POOL" PARTY TABLE

All my life, I wanted a pool table.

Back in June, my wife purchased a pool table from her cousin in Missouri. She didn't want it and had it on Craig's List to sell. My wife saw it, called me to ask if we should buy it from her for $1,200.00, and my reply was, "Hell, Yeah!" It is a $4,000.00 table.

It finally arrived tonight in crates on pallets.

The slate...

Retirement is looking good. I cannot wait to put this thing together!

Of course, once we finish the flooring in the recreation room, we will assemble it and enjoy. This project has been put in a "rush" status.

As of yesterday, here is the progress...

I cut some 2x4s like this to support and stabilize the joists. I was think of using shims, but shims tend to loosen over time. With this kind of support, I can place to fit under the joists and screw the support into the joists.

NANU NANU NO MORK

I grieve as the world grieves upon hearing about the death of Robin Williams.

I didn't see all of his movies, but here is a list of the ones I did see:

The World According to Garp
Moscow on the Hudson
Good Morning, Vietnam
Dead Poet's Society
Awakenings
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Birdcage
Good Will Hunting
Patch Adams
Jakob the Liar
Insomnia

Zelda Williams, the 25-year-old actress and Williams' only daughter, tweeted a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince."

"You — you alone will have the stars as no one else has them. In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You — only you — will have stars that can laugh."


Rest in peace...

Thank you for making my body ache from laughing so much.

You will be missed.

Shazbot...

Nanu Nanu

HAPPY 25TH

A shout out to our good friends, TeamBruin, on their 25th anniversary.

Enjoy your day, you two!

REST & "REEL"AXATION

We finally managed to get in some camping.

We finally used our National Park pass for the first time. We purchased it on August 15, 2013. Yes, it has been that long.

We secure Site #26 at our favorite camping place, Aspen Grove, off Poole Plant Road near Lee Vining, CA.

After setting up camp, we decided to make use of our recently purchased fishing licenses.

My wife caught all seven on our first day August 2, and we caught ten on August 3. I managed to reel in just one. Good thing I don't do this for a living.

I know its attitude, but I think my father and grandfather have left a curse on me since I didn't do much fishing with them during my teens.

It was smoky on August 2 due to the wildfires, but August 3 was cool and overcast. It later drizzled on Monday night.

We broke camp on Monday, August 4, to head back home.

Anyhow, it was all fun.