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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful as always. I love our family catchup sessions. Bills turkey was great and Jessica has turned out to be a great cook. You should have tasted her stuffed Portobellos.



I enjoyed the article posted by KC about coursing. Training animals is so far beyond me - it takes the discipline I don't have.



No nibbles on the house. Took the car in (an engine light came on while at Bopchas). They checked it out and it required an oxygen sensor. I was taking the call on my cell (and you all know how I feel about cell phones) and I asked what it would cost and he said one oh something something - so it sounds like a hundred plus dollars - well I know I didn't hear right because the last time I had an oxygen senor put on it cost me $1,000+. But what are you going to do so I said go ahead. Well when I picked up the car it actually was $100 and some dollars. Which tells me that I really got taken when a sensor was installed on my van. Grrrrrrr.



Went down with some bug on Friday afternoon and was down all day yesterday and possibly will try and venture out today. Hope none of the other Thanksgiving family came down with anything. At first I just thought the headaches were sinus but NO by Saturday when my body and hair hurt I pretty much figured it was something else. I slept all Friday afternoon, all night and pretty much all day Saturday. I guess the body knows what it knows.



Hope everyone has Christmas under control. Sid are you and Sandra going to be at the farm on Christmas? Need to know where to send your Christmas gift.



OH QUICK QUESTION. hAS ANYONE INSTALLED A FLAPPER IN THEIR TOILET? I need a new one and don't know whether to tackle myself or get a plumber. Please let me know is I can handle. Thanks.



Thanksgiving

Tory took this photo of us at our Thanksgiving celebration.




I took this photo of us at the TGiving party.

Happy Turkey Day.







Nice pictures Diana!

Yes Thompson I know Benny has taken a a turn to the dark side. I'm just retro I guess :-)



Love Sid



PS



Here is Thompsons link again, just in case it got buried a little to quickly. Racing Hounds - Click Here



I took the liberty with the dog comments and posted them below :-)

















How Many Dogs Does It Take To Change A Light Bulb? It depends on the breed.





Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?



Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.



Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!



Rottweiler: Make me.



Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark



Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!



German Shepherd: I'll change and rewire it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, checked to make sure I haven't missed anything and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.



Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.



Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb!



Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I love you just as much in the dark.



Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb. Or 'We don't need no stinking light bulb.'



Borzoi: It isn't moving. Who cares?



Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...



Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

Bopcha's BD and Heather's visit

Sadly, my camera obviously failed at the wrong time and the group photos did not turn out.



Bopcha enjoys a margarita before her birthday lunch at Applebees.




Bopcha knows she has plenty of windpower - she's been practicing on that lung power tester she brought home from Good Sam!








Jeff, Alana and Heather are simply adorable.




Judith - just where we like to keep her!




Kathryn, doing what she and I do best ... setting the table and then eating Judi's good cooking.

Kid Photos



Back Row

Tyler - MI High School star, played for Stanford

Noah - MI High School star., played 2 years at Seattle U

Austin - MI High School star, played 4 years at Seattle Pacific

Charlie - MI High School starter

Kevin - MI High School starter

Sam - Noah's roommate

Khalil - MI High School star

played at Air Force Prep

Gavin - MI High School star played 4 years at Pomona




Jessica's Halloween costume

Wasn't That a Great Win!!

I thought the OSU had the "angry" beaver now. That guy you posted sure looks happy--as he should of course, the way that OSU is playing these days.



The Zoiboyz Ranch got into the news in this on-line newspaper article. Check out the link here:

Link



http://www.examiner.com/x-1732-Denver-Dynamic-Dogs-Examiner



Love KC

Exercises vs Real Life

Just a tidbit from my work: Last week we played an exercise in which California (LA) got hit by a big earthquake--I think the California part actually hit the news. We got busy requesting DoD assets and organizing our response should California request the President for our help--I flung myself about along with the others, making my computer smoke with the fury of my keystrokes (close as I can get to action being at the headquarters), hurrying to identify what capabilities California might need from us and trying to line them up, etc---and then suddenly, the earthquake went away from the exercise story line, no doubt due to real life California problems, like wildfires. There I sat, computer keyboard still quivering from my last keystroke and nothing to do, but real work that I could have and would have had done IF the exercise hadn't happened. Sort of like being removed from my theater seat in the middle of an exciting movie and dropped back on the sidewalk in the afternoon sun.

Saturn and Cars

What a hassle--not only aggravating (after you know you've survived the incident) to be smacked by another vehicle driven by someone totally irresponsible and reckless, but now you have to deal with repairs, insurance claims, police reports, and time and money lost from other more important tasks. Of course, Noah has to deal with the same too, also for someone totally irresponsible and reckless. Makes me aggravated on your behalf--but bottom line, I'm glad that its only the cars that are damaged, you and yours are OK. Still -- makes me mad.



Meanwhile, I meant to mention (distracted by the dog intelligence list) the picture of Saturn and the "...mysterious glowing aurora." ??? Are you sure it's Saturn Sid? what is the peculiar jagged looking dark frame blocking some of the picture? Where are Saturn's rings? And isn't Saturn a buttery-yellow?that's the color I see when I spot the planet in the night sky. You need to post a little bit more info about those confounded scientists too--and whose picture is it anyway?



And speaking of Saturns, we haven't heard the result from the chore-escaping look at cars that Sid and Sandra induged in the other day!!



Car Blues

Hello Everyone,



I am really sorry to hear about your car troubles. Thankfully, no one got hurt through any of it. It's still really jolting to have your car broken into or to be hit by another car. I am always amazed when people can just run from an accident. Doesn't the guilt alone just get to you? Too bad you did not get a license plate #. It always seems like the police are not around at quite the right time.

It would have been ideal if a police officer close by could have hunted them down, just so that perhaps they will learn to act more responsibly.



Today is a freezing cold day in Philadelphia. I think it caught most of us by surprise. Tomorrow, I think I will be more prepared for the cold and actually remember to wear my scarf and heavier socks. Brrrrr!



We are all waiting anxiously for OSU to do their thing! How exciting isn't it? We will think positively.



Think Success!!



Love. Sandra

Car Blues

On Monday, Noah and his roomate Sam found that Noah's Corolla had been broken into. The side window was shattered and the boys hats and some CDs were stolen.



Then, after work that very day, Bill and I were driving Mother's Camry (the one we bought from her when she got the Rav) and a car hit us in the passenger door behind the driver's door and then took off into the night! Luckily the damage was relatively minor (a dent and some scrapes, but the door still opens and closes) and we were not hurt. Of course we did not get the license number of the car that hit us.



I am starting to get butterflies about the Arizona/OSU game on Mother's birthday. Gulp! If the Beavers know what's good for them they will give Mother the best gift ever --- a BIG win.



Love,

Dee

The Limits of Ranking

Hi KC,



I actually am with you on challenging the "published" list on dog intelligence. I can understand why you might question the accuracy of a list that seems to associate intelligence with "owner pleasing behaviors." To us humans, a dog that abides by every owner command is behaving intelligently but perhaps we are unfairly confining the dog to our code of intelligence.



By the way, Sid has often wondered why he has not been rated at the top of the list for human intelligence. :-) :-)

He is just kidding.



And anyway, Storm is disappointinly low on the list and that doesn't seem right either, according to Nina.



KC, I say we publish our own list! We really need to set the record straight.



Love,



Sandra



Vet's Way Out

Of course, I only noticed now--I was looking for rough collies (or is he smooth?), which is what Storm really is I think--and noted the vet did indeed qualify his list as being based only upon trainability and obedience. And Bop pointed out that I might have invented the term "bidable" -- I don't know how to spell it either, so she's no doubt correct. Nonetheless, Sandra's vet (sorry Sandra, I know he's not REALLY your vet) still made it perjorative by adding the term "intelligene." (I'm like a pit bull on this subject I guess, I can't be satisfied with a single nice retort (thank you Sid), I want to stomp harder.)



I'm thinking of the impact of owners on his list as well. How many borzoi or Afghan owners purchase their pets with the idea of training them for obedience work? Not many--I give mine basic obedience training--and they perform quite fine the first or second time I ask--but if I keep demanding another sit, another down, another stay--they get bored. (Is that ia lack of intelligence---or too much?) A Border collie doesn't get bored pleasing his owner, even if it is to obey the same command over and over. They need and thrive on that constant interaction. So consequently,I think the owners' desire begins to shape the list.



The owners that need dogs with a high "I want to please" factor have a reasonable tendency to buy the dogs that were bred and born to love the interaction that obedience depends upon, and so those breeds go to the top of Sandra's vet's list. Most borzoi, Chihuahuas, Papillons, and Afghans are capable of succeeding in obedience, there just aren't many owners who chose to do obedience with them. So, Sandra's vet doesn't see them "being intelligent." So, humph!! Enuff spouting. I just can't let that vet have the last word.