SnOmaha

We had nine inches of snow last night.  This was combined with strong winds to give us blizzard conditions.  This made me think two things: I would be clearing snow Sunday morning and I would have awesome snowshoe conditions on Monday.

Clearing the snow was a workout.  Even with a snow blower it was tough.  The blower kept bogging down and, in places, the drifts were higher than the snow blower.  Under the snow was a layer of ice (it rained before it snowed) so deicer was spread.  I have some strap on spikes that keep me from slipping - amazing how very tiny 1/8 inch spikes are enough to keep you on your feet.  I'm not sure I could have cleared the snow with only a shovel.  That would have sucked.  The nearly two foot deep drift on our deck ... will probably stay there until it gets warmer and it melts on its own.

Homer never liked the snow.  I had to scoop snow off the yard to get him to do his business.  Iago loves the snow.  He likes sticking his head in the snow while he walks - we call it snow plowing.  He often comes back in with snow on his nose.  The snow in the yard is almost up to Iago's belly.

Cool windswept snow texture.

The snow we got on top of the snow we already had on the ground and the blustery conditions gave the fields behind our house a cool texture, especially early in the morning while the sun was still low on the horizon.

Sunrise over the snow covered field ... and electrical pylons.

I mentioned last post that we are seeing a lot of snow this February.  Another thing we are getting more of is icicles.  Not sure why the conditions are so good for their formation but they are everywhere.

Long icicles outside our front door.

Tomorrow (and maybe Wednesday too) I will be enjoying the new snow.  Hitchcock snowshoe number two ... here I come.

Time For A Name Change

When I started Homer's Travels back in 2006 (!!!!) I decide to post anonymously.  Since I'd named the blog after our dog, Homer, I decided to use his name as my nom de plume.  I was a little paranoid about posting my name out there in the ether and I wasn't sure who would be reading my blabbering.

Over the years my hidden identity became more and more transparent.  The coup de grâce to my disguise was my joining Facebook just over two years ago.  It didn't take me long to put a link to Homer's Travels on my Facebook profile.  I guess that's when I decided that privacy, the little we have online, doesn't really exist.  (If you don't believe me, go to Spokeo and type in your name)

Almost everyone who reads Homer's Travels regularly are either family, friends, or internet friends who know who I am.  I have met some of my internet friends in person ... I guess that means I could drop the internet adjective.  Anyway, the point is most of my friends and family know my real name.

A year and a day ago, the real Homer-Dog passed away.  I kept posting in his name as sort of a memorial, but it's time to move on.  As of this post I will be posting under my real name (I will still keep other people's names out of the blog).  Homer's name will live on in the blog title and a few other places out there in the intertubes.

A Homer's Travels Look Back At 2010

Some people are not fond of end of the year lists.  I find comfort in looking back and seeing where I've been and thinking about what is to come.  2010 has been a rough year for me.  I have felt like I've been in a rather continuous slump for most of the year but especially for the last six months.  This is reflected in the drastic reduction in my posting this year - 36% below what I posted last year.  I've been disappointed in both my photography and my writing.

Let's look back at 2010, shall we:

• January was a month of making plans that inevitably changed.  It was a month of new GPS units, photographs winning contests, and wonderful snowshoeing at Boyer Chute.   It was a good start to the year.
• In February, the Minneapolis Winter Carnival, the race up the tower, and the continuation of my hike along the Wabash Trace were totally overshadowed by the passing of this blog's namesake and our dear friend Homer.  Re-reading the post about Homer started me bawling all over again.  Remembering is not always happy.
• After Homer's passing we had to get out of the house.  March was spent distracting ourselves as best we could.  We went to see bridges and ball players.  We took a three day Kansas Roadtrip to see balls of twine, hairballs, and folk art - who would have thought that Kansas could be so interesting.  Spring returned with the birds and warmer temperatures.
• April consisted of Easter with the family, a new toy (a new camera), and several Wabash Trace hikes.  I was looking forward to my Steamboat Trace hike the next month so I asked hiking equipment questions seeking answers from my readers.
• May started with me learning a simple task - blade shaving.  The month continued with a Mother's Day river cruise, the completion of the Wabash Trace, and the completion of my most ambitious hike: The Steamboat Trace.
• The month of June was dominated by our trip to Jordan.  Sadly I lost about half of my pictures as nearly half of the pictures were replaced by my last picture, a picture of a Falcon.  I seem to have had a premonition of this when I posted this.  Overshadowed this month by the approaching vacation were a cool bridge, the World Cup, and a trip to Minneapolis for a wedding shower.
• In July, recovering from Jordan, we went to a free concert and went to the Grotto of the Redemption.  I visited a few places to get stamps in my Nebraska Tourism book while the Wife went to Fort Robinson for a teacher's workshop.  When she returned we went to the Winnebago Pow Wow.  Many of the stamps I got were Native American related as was the Wife's Fort Robinson workshop so July was Native American Themed.
• August was dominated by the GodSon's wedding, new babies, Nebraska roadtrips, and toads on our windows.  The Wife started at a new school.  I built a dragon boat model and finally hiked Preparation Canyon.
• September was a mix of hiking and roadtrips.  We saw Anthony Bourdain talk at the Holland Center.  I decided not to hike the Cowboy Trail, a decision that I'm still not sure was the right one to make.  I started and pretty much failed at a fall colors quest.  The search for the fall colors, though, took me through beautiful countryside.
• October saw the completion of my leaf peeping attempt and the successful completion of my loess hills drive while taking the old Honda Accord past 100K.  I suffered from itchy joints - still somewhat of a mystery.  I started seriously planning for the Camino, establishing the stages, setting the dates, and buying the tickets.  The month ended with us going to see David Sedaris ... and laughing our a$$es off.
• November saw more hiking both in nature and in the city.  A rather calm month saw snow, Thanksgiving in Minneapolis, and the first sight of Santa.
• December saw the publishing of my first picture in a book.
• I did 18 hikes totaling 210.07 miles.  This was up from last year and was my second best year mile-wise.   My last hike was also my longest ever at 20.88 miles.  Along with these hikes, I did 9 city walkabouts adding 120.58 miles to my hiking/walking distance.  My total hiking/walking distance this year is 330.65 miles, 54% more than last year and a definite improvement.
• I biked twice this year, very disappointing, for a pathetic total of 31.95 miles, an 86% drop from the year before.
• Snowshoeing ... well I only did one snowshoe last January.  It was a good one, Boyer Chute, but the snow became uncooperative soon after.  This year, as I predicted, has been rather light in the snow department.
• In the matter of Books, I only managed to read 15 books this year, down three from last year.  I read 6,205 pages, about 5% less than last year - the books I read this year were on average longer that the one I read in 2009.  For reasons I talked about earlier this week, I will probably fall very short in 2011.
• As for Music, we went to several concerts including: Enter The Haggis & The Spring Standards (The best concert of the year), Kansas, Styx, Foreigner, and Al Green & The Mynabirds.  All good concerts.

2010 had a nice ring to it but turned out to be disappointing. The bad economy (the Wife and I survived relatively unscathed), the dirty political election cycle (once again, the Wife and I not directly affected), and the passing of Homer (no way to not be affected by that) contributed to a rather gray year.   A major case of writers block was either a contributor to and/or a cause of my down mood.  The look back list is mighty thin compared to 2009.

But there is hope.  This last week of 2010 has felt more upbeat and my mood is lifting.   There is hope for 2011.  I have two big events to look forward to: the Camino de Santiago and our Route 66 roadtrip back to California to visit with friends.  We have concerts planned and I have hikes to do.  2010 has brought me down but I am not out by any measure.  2011, I can't wait to meet'cha.

Here's to a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all.

May all your dreams come true in 2011.*

*and this time I mean it.

Homer 05/01/1999 - 02/20/2010

Saturday evening Homer, our yellow lab, our ever loyal companion, was euthanized.  The back injury that he suffered only three weeks earlier had progressed to the point that he could hardly stand on his own. Saturday night, when we took him out to do his business, he collapsed while squatting (He was male but he always squated while in our yard).  After the Wife got him back on his feet, he took a couple steps before his front legs gave out and he face planted  in the snow.  It was the saddest thing I'd ever seen.  After the Wife talked to a veterinarian friend (The Loon Whisperer's husband) who was brutally honest - exactly what we needed at the time - we took Homer to the Emergency Animal Clinic and, after saying our goodbyes, he was peaceful sent on his way.

We picked up Homer in 1999.  He was my third dog and the Wife's first.  We got him at a breeder who specialized in Labrador Retrievers.  The litter was 5 or 6 males and a female if I remember right.  We had the pick of the litter.  We went there a few weeks after he was born.  The litter poured out of the dog house to check us out.  As we played with the puppies, one after the other, the puppies would break off and head back into the dog house.  Eventually only one was left.  That was our Homer.

We would check with the breeder every week or so to check on his progress and to arrange a time for us to pick him up.  The breeder told my Wife that Homer "had a lot of character."  We wondered what that meant and the breeder said that he looked at you when you talked to him.  After we'd had him for a while I think we learned what "a lot of character" was.  It's what made Homer special.

Homer grew up fast, like most dogs do.  He was 16 pounds when we brought him home in early July.  By September he was over 40 pounds.  He eventually maxed out in the 80s.  I remember laying on the floor with Homer on one side of me and a toy on the other and poor Homer could not manage to climb over me.  He was so tiny.

We had him sleep in our guest bathroom.  He had a dog pillow and, if he had an accident, it wouldn't be hard to clean up. (He never did ).  The first night we'd just turned of the light and, after whining a bit he calmed down.  A few minutes later we heard a Boing-Boing sound coming from the bathroom.  Homer had found the spring door stop and was pulling at it.  When we had our first guests stay over we needed to find a place for Homer.  The first night we took him into our bedroom, he jumped up on the bed, and, like the perfect dog that he was, laid down and fell asleep.  He slept with us in our bed from that point on.

Homer was a fast learner - faster than we were I think.  He learned tricks quickly.  He learned to behave like the perfect dog at obedience school and like a crazy child when he was home.  He learned what a treat was and, soon after that, how to spell T-R-E-A-T.  We spoiled him with toys and he learned the name of every one.  We often entertained guests having Homer go to his basket and bringing any toy we asked for.

Labs are social animals and Homer was a prime example of this.  He was always with you as you walked around the house.  If you went to another room, Homer would follow.  You were never alone with Homer in the house.  He also was very fair trying to split his time between the Wife and me.  At times he would find the spot in the house that was half way between us and that's where he would lay down.

The Wife was the prime motivator behind us getting Homer.  I wasn't sure.  I thought he might tie us down.  Of course, after we got Homer he latched on to me (and I latched on to him).  While he was fair most of the time, I was the one he look up to, so to speak.  Many times the Wife would ask Homer something and Homer would look at me as if I had asked the question.  It was so blatant that it was almost funny but I'm sure it was frustrating to the Wife.

Homer was a loyal companion.  He took the move to Omaha in stride.  He was unsure for the first few months but he soon got used to his new home.  He saw his first snow.  To our surprise it didn't phase him at all.  This was amazing when you think of all the things he was weird about.  He would leave the room when we started playing a DVD and would inevitably return when the credits were rolling.  He didn't like the fireplace because of the tick tick ticking sound the expanding firebox made as it heated up and cooled down.  He was wary of the dogs that lived in our kitchen - he saw his reflection in the front of the stove and dishwasher.  He didn't like tile/hardwood floors.  He would move from carpet to rug, often taking the long way around to avoid the tile floor.  We often called him a freak but eccentric would have been a better description.

Everything went well until about a month ago.  I won't talk about what happened as I've already mentioned it in a couple of posts here and here.  What we had to do on Saturday night was the hardest thing we've ever had to do but it was also the most right.  Since then I have gone through the whole gamut of emotions.  Guilt: I should have walked him more.  I should have played with him more.  We should never had let him sleep on our bed.  It goes on and on in my head.  Happy: when I think of the good times we had.  I laugh when I remember how he would come up behind you and stick his head between your legs with his ball.  I smile remembering how, even as an old dog, he would pounce on his ball like a puppy.  Sad: I cry as I catch myself expecting to see Homer behind me.  I look around the room, a room eerily quiet without the sound of his jingling tags, and I imagine where he would be if he was still with us.  It's amazing how much space a dog takes up - you don't notice it until he is gone and the house suddenly becomes empty and hollow.

People, with good intentions, have suggested we should get another dog.  I don't think I'm ready for that yet.  Maybe in a year or two I might think differently, but not now.  For now I just want to keep him in my memories.  

I have uploaded some pictures to my 2000-2010 Homer Google Photos album.  I didn't have very many pictures of Homer because he would always bark when you covered your face.  Not sure how he learned that habit.

Unfortunately, this post doesn't do Homer justice.  I just don't have the words.

I often listen to music when I draft posts.  The first song that came up on shuffle play when I started this post made the drafting a little more difficult and brought some tears to my eyes.  It was "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down.  I think the chorus of that song is the best way to end this post:

So hold me when I'm here

Right me when I'm wrong

Hold me when I'm scared

And love me when I'm gone

Everything I am

And everything in me

Wants to be the one

You wanted me to be

I'll never let you down

Even if I could

I'd give up everything

If only for your good

So hold me when I'm here

Right me when I'm wrong

You can hold me when I'm scared

You won't always be there

So love me when I'm gone

May 1, 1999 - February 20, 2010

Homer

aka Homer-Dog, Pokey, Pokey-Dog, Monkey, Monkey-Dog, Sweety, Sweety-puss

He answered to them all.

He will be missed.

"What's The Score?"

This week has been a little tough.  I've been fighting a persistent bug, the Wife stabbed her hand with a large screwdriver (It looks bad but it's getting better), and poor Homer, his back end problems are not getting better ... if anything they're getting worse.  The poor guy's hobbling around like an invalid.  Every time I look at him I feel so sad and helpless.  So to combat this potential emotional collapse, I've been looking for things to make me laugh.

I came across something that reminded me of something that happened early in our marriage.  The Wife had a habit of talking in her sleep, a habit that has diminished greatly over the years.  Either that or I'm just sleeping through it now.  Soon after we were married, in the middle of the night, the Wife turned to me and asked me: "What's the score?"  While I was awake, I was trying to sleep so I ignored her.  She would have nothing of it and pushed me and asked again more adamantly: "What's the score?"  Trying to placate her I said something like: "20 to 13."  This inevitably provoked the follow on question: "Who's winning?"  Knowing that the Wife is an hard core Notre Dame fan, I naturally answered "Notre Dame."  In a whiny voice she responded "But they're not playing!"  What's a guy to do?

A year or so later, I feel a shove and the Wife saying: "Honey!"  I tried to ignore her.  "Scratch my back!" she says.  I ignore her some more.  She shoves me some more, more violently, and says: "Honey, scratch my back!"  Trying to remember why I married her, I turned over and started to scratch her back.  Next thing I know, she turns her head and asks: "What are you doing?"  All the shoving and asking ... she was asleep the whole time.

As I said, over the years she talks less and less in her sleep, or I'm sleeping deeper and deeper, either way the only thing I've heard her say lately is "Pencils Down!"  Even in her sleep she's teaching.

So, what reminded me of all this sleep talking?  This website:

The Sleep Talking Man

You may have already heard about this guy.  I'm a little slow at finding things some times.  He talks in his sleep so much that his wife set up a voice activated recorded and she posts what he says on her blog.

Funny Stuff.  Hopefully it will lift my spirits.

Homer Update

Homer went to the vet today.  He usually jumps into the car but I had to get him some help to get him in the back seat.  He stumbled on his way out.  His rear end just doesn't seem very coordinated anymore.

Nothing much to report.  The vet agrees that it may be a pulled/strained muscle in his lower back and thinks there may be some arthritis doing its dirty work in there as well.  He pumped him full of cortisone to help reduce inflammation and we have some pills to give him.  He seems a little more spry already but the trip to the vet, like most trips in the car, tired him out.

Our Bed Feels Empty

A week ago Homer slipped when he jumped off the bed.  Our bed is a rather high affair and his paws have little traction on the wood floor in the bedroom.  Ever since the poor guy has been gimpy, gimpier than he usually is, that is.  He doesn't wince when you touch him but you can tell he's sore.  I suspect he pulled or sprained something during his slip up ... maybe his back.

He takes a while to stand up, he doesn't play with his ball as much, and, to top it off, he will not jump up on the bed.  For a few nights I lifted him up onto the bed but, frankly, it's not easy to lift an 85lb dog and after a few days of this my back was starting to ache and I was getting a little gimpy myself.

Yesterday I went and bought him a big pillow to sleep on.  We put it on the floor near the bed where he could see me.  He was a little hesitant.  He looked at me with a "why aren't you picking me up" look on his face.  You can tell he want to be close to us on our bed.  He's been sleeping on our bed for 10 - 11 years.  He eventually acquiesced and slept the rest of the night on the pillow.

If this continues then it's off to the veterinarian next week.  I did see him stretch his back yesterday, something he hadn't done for several days.  I hope this is a sign he's getting better.  Today he's still gimpy as ever though.

Homer, in better days.

Bonehenge

Homer, like all good dogs, likes to chew bones. In his case, a large Nylabone. Unlike many dogs, Homer has a hidden talent. When Homer's done chewing, he often leaves his bone like this:

You Know Winter Is Getting Close When ...

You Know Winter Is Getting Close When ... The dog's pee steams. 

We had our first frost this morning. It's starting to feel like winter is approaching. They're predicting a cold dry winter this year and I hope they are wrong about the dry part. I'm really looking forward to the first snow. I want to see how Homer reacts to the falling white stuff. The closest he's come to snow is a brief California hail storm.

This morning he went out to do his business and walked around sniffing the frosty grass. I took a picture ... of the grass, not the business.

A Lump Is A Lump ... On The Couch

Early in the wee hours of the morning ... 4:00 AM to be exact ... I took the Wife to Eppley Airfield so she could catch her flight to New York.  She is attending an  Ellis Island workshop on immigration and health.  During the week attendees will be visiting parts of Ellis Island that are not open to the public.  She even gets to wear a hardhat.  Very cool.  She will be allowed to take pictures but they can not be made public - i.e. no pictures on for Homer's Travels and none for Flickr.

While the Wife is in New York, Homer and I are trying to figure out what to do with ourselves.  I've been imitating Homer most of the day.  By that I mean sitting on the couch like a lump.  Then again, a lump is a little more animated than I've been.  What I've been telling myself is that I need a day of sloth to get me motivated to actually get out and do something.  Yeah.  Right.

I do have a few household chores and minor home fixes that I need to do.  I hope to mix some exploration of Omaha in there as well.  I have a few fans who seem to think I don't post enough so I'll try to post some more (try being the operative word there).

Now, if I could only get Homer off the couch so I could stretch out ...

A Month In Our Home

It's hard to believe that we've been in this house for a month now.  Time flies ... and there are still boxes to unpack.

We've been pretty lucky with our house.  We like it very much.  It's perfect for us.  It's in a near perfect location.  And we made our offer after walking through for less than 15 minutes.  That is a big no-no when house hunting.

I like most of the house.  The only thing that's bothering me are the bathrooms.  Our house in Oxnard had tricked out bathrooms remodeled to our specifications.  The bathrooms in our new house are OK but they aren't ... ours yet.

The Wife's on her way to Minneapolis where she will visit with the Matron of Honor and Best Man.  The MoH and the Wife will be going to a Neil Diamond concert on Saturday.  I'm a little jealous but someone has to stay behind with Homer.  After all the moving - first to a hotel in Ventura, then hotels in Las Vegas and Rifle, then the Loon Whisper's home for two nights, then the new house, and finally the trip to Lake Cornelia - Homer needs some stability.  He's still a little freaked out and clingy.  The storms we had a couple nights ago (over 3 inches of rain in 2 - 3 hours and non-stop thunder for at least an hour), and the ones we're having right now, aren't helping.  Homer is currently hiding in the master bathroom.

I think my next step is to get the bike ready and start riding.  The movers removed both the front and the rear tires.  I've got them back on but the breaks seemed to be out of alignment.  When I finally get it in shape I'll check out the nearby bike trails and see if I can get myself in shape.  I have a lot of preparation before next summers Ragbrai.

Lake Cornelia

Last weekend the Wife, Homer, and I got in the car and headed to Lake Cornelia to visit in in-law's lake house.  Homer was the star ... for about two seconds.  That is when we saw Sophie.  The Wife's brother TI and family had a new puppy named Sophie and, like all puppies, was the cutest thing in the world, yes she was.  Homer wasn't fazed by her cutitude and pretty much ignored her and took a liking to some of her toys instead.  He latched on to Tiger and just walked around aimlessly taking in all the new sights.  Eventually Sophie got brave and started bouncing at Homer.  Homer wasn't sure what to make of her.

The weather on the 5th was perfect.  The day was spent eating, drinking, enjoying the annual fourth of July boat parade (the Father-In-Law, with the help of the Wife, TE, the nieces, and the nephew, came in second place, winning the $20 prize and a new horseshoes set), and watched the fireworks.  While Homer handled the Omaha fireworks with ease, the more intimate (i.e. louder) venue was too much for him.  One loud boom inspired Homer to run out of the front gate and down the middle of the road.  Fortunately the Wife caught him and we put him in the house.  He walked fast, but did not run, from room to room looking for, but never finding, a safe place to hide.  He eventually found a bedroom to sit and pant loudly in.  CA, TI's wife, sat with Homer and Sophie and helped calm the poor guy down.  Thank you CA.

On Sunday things wound down.  People started to leave after finishing the leftovers.  We left a little early to see if we could beat the rain.  We managed to get home without encountering any rain.

This will certainly become an annual thing for us now that we are so close.  Another reason we moved to the Midwest.

Thunderstorms And Homer

One of the things that the Wife and I missed in California was the weather. Since we moved into our new house a week ago we've experienced about 4 evenings of Thunderstorms. I'd forgotten what it feels like to see the lightning and hear the accompanying thunder. I would even venture to guess that the first evening of thunderstorms had more thunder than all of my 20 years in California. Actually, it's rained more here in the last week than it rain all of last year in Oxnard. What a difference. I really enjoy it. I'm sure if I had to go out in it I would think differently but in a cozy home there is such a comfortable, hunkering down feeling.

That morning I'd gone out an bought a weather radio - A necessity in the mid-west. For those who do not experience weather, a weather radio turns on automatically when there is a weather warning in your area. It went off several times that first night as several severe thunderstorms rumbles through our are.

While all the weather excitement is great for me, Homer doesn't quite appreciate it as much. When it thunders he gets really clingy and stays close to us. To his credit he remains relatively calm and isn't whiny or barky at all. The first night of thunderstorms he went down to the basement and laid down in the laundry room (It appears that Homer is ready for Tornadoes). Since the first storm he doesn't go in the basement as much but stays close and kind of cowers looking for comport. He shows his nervousness by panting and heavy breathing. Today we've had thunderstorms most of the day and he seems to be relaxing a bit - a teensy weensy bit. I expect he will eventually get used to it. Hopefully it will be soon.

The Quests Of Homer:The Chaser Of Bunnies

It's been a busy couple of days and we are far from being finished. I'm guessing we have a month or two before we are completely settled into our new home. Here is an mish-mash of what has happened in the last couple days.

On Tuesday the sellers were supposed to be out by 1:00 PM. We showed up at 11:15 AM and chatted briefly with their movers (The sellers had already left town - their movers were unsupervised). The movers said that they had about an hour of work left. This would work as our movers would not be showing up until 1:00 PM. We went to have lunch (Old Chicago - good chain restaurant food) and came back around 12:30 PM. The movers were gone so we went into the house. What a mess! There was junk in the basement. The chest freezer that was supposed to stay was gone. The place was filthy. There was about an inch of dust and a a herd of dust bunnies were hoping around the master bedroom wood floor. We just walked around the house cursing out the sellers. Probably the grossest thing were the whisker clippings in the bathroom drawers. The Wife made some frantic calls to our Realtor and the seller's Realtor while I went to the nearby Wal-Mart to by a swiffer to battle the dust bunnies with. The Realtors are going to get us compensated for the mess.

Our movers showed up on time. Shortly after their arrival, the seller's movers returned. What?!? Anyway we got the seller's movers to get the stuff out of the basement while our movers moved stuff into the upstairs (Our house is a ranch style house with a walk in basement). I decided to leave all the chaos to the Wife and my Mom, who was helping (Thanks Mom!), and drove back out to Columbus to pick up Homer.

Homer had been a good boy with the Loon Whisperer and her brood. She had gotten sick the day we left and the Vet was getting sick when I got there. Fortunately Homer is an easy, low maintenance dog.

When I got back, the movers were gone and everything was in the house. We'd put all the boxes in the basement and most of the furniture upstairs. This way we can bring one box up at a time to put stuff way and the living space can stay clutter-free. We ended up, so far, with only a couple broke things. Of course they broke the most irreplaceable thing. When moving in our piano, which happens to be about 104 years old, they dropped it and busted off two of the casters on the bottom. It will be interesting to see how they fix that for us. They also lost a bed frame caster and two casters off the wet/dry vacuum. Apparently the movers had a thing for casters.

Then came the first emergency. We haven't bought our big screen TV yet and we are relying on a cheap-a$$ 20" piece of crap for our TV viewing. You can't do anything with this TV without it's remote control and the remote control was packed. To make things worse, the NBA finals game was starting in three hours. So, for the next three hours, I cut open boxes, shifted stuff around, unwrapped packing paper, lifted boxes, sweated like a big dog, and searched until, in the last box, I found the remote. I found it 15 minutes before tip off. The Wife was very grateful. Yay for me!

Yesterday the Wife tackled the old kitchen cabinet liner paper (She had to use a razor blade to scrape it all off) while I set up the Internet (my connection is about 50% faster than my old Time Warner connection). I then started unloading some of my clothes and doing laundry. The Wife said she would be mowing the lawn soon so I decided to plug in our cordless mower to get it all charged up. If only I could find the charger. It took me another two - three hours of more box opening, moving, lifting, sweating (like a big dog), and searching before I found it in the least likely box. I tell you, these quests for small items suck! The basement is now a maze of boxes, a few only half full. In other words, a mess.

On a lighter note, Homer encountered his first Nebraska rabbit. I spotted a rabbit in our backyard. It was in an area that had been a garden once munching on some weeds. I told the Wife and she decided it was time for the Homer to go Pee Pee. Homer got in the yard and the bunny froze. I watched it from our deck. Homer trotted around oblivious while the bunny hunched down like a statue. Then Homer got a little to close for the rabbit and it bolted. Homer ran after it but the bunny got away. This morning he had a second run in with another rabbit but it too got away.

We ended the day with some Dairy Queen ice cream. Today, we will try to do what we couldn't finish yesterday: unpack the kitchen and our clothes.

Stoned Homer

Last Wednesday night, Homer began scratching. By Thursday night he had scratched/bit/licked himself bloody on several parts of his body. He was miserable, the poor guy. That is why we took him to the vet on Friday.

The vets diagnosis was allergies. He is now on steroids and antihistamines. The meds are definitely working but I'm guessing the antihistamines are not the non-drowsy type. Homer has been sleeping even more than usual and when he is awake he looks totally stoned.

I guess it's better to be stoned than bloody itchy. The vet thinks he will have less allergy problems in Omaha. I'm not sure I would agree but I hope he's right.

We keep telling Homer that he'll soon be a mean Nebraska farm dog but he just stares off into space. There are a bunch of new experiences awaiting Homer - Thunderstorms (not good), Snow (Possibly funny until he needs to poop when it's below freezing), being able to see people (The yard has a chain link fence instead of the wooden privacy fence we has here so Homer can actually see out), and don't forget playing with Spud and the Spudettes (Total Chaos). It's going to be fun.

Open House And Dog Parks

The open house is over and it was a success. The Wife says that the vast majority of the comments she heard were positive. Around 30 people walked through our house, much better then the four from the first open house. Some of the comments she overheard may indicate an offer in the near future. Keep your fingers crossed.

While the Wife listened to the wonderful compliments, I was with Homer at the dog park. This was Homer's first trip to a dog park and he behaved very well. He ran around the pit bulls, mastiffs, saint bernard's, chihuahuas, and terriers of all ilk, sniffing as many butts he could stick his nose in. Eventually, I think Homer was just overwhelmed by all the other dogs and people and he just walked up to the gate and looked at me like "Can we go home now?" We spent the rest of the four and a half hours in the car - Homer sleeping in the back and me reading.

Today is ending with some good Bar-B-Que from Just-Bar-B-Que and an aura of positive feedback and hope. Feels good.

Open House, Crowded Car, and The Oscars - What A Day

Today we had our first open house. The open house went from 1:00 to 4:00 so, at 12:30, I loaded Homer into the car and headed for the beach. The Wife wasn't with us as she is chaperoning a school retreat in Santa Barbara.

It was a little sprinkley out so I didn't get to walk Homer very much and we spent most of the four hours sitting in the car. I have got to figure something else to do with Homer. He doesn't seem very happy sitting in the backseat of the car for hours on end. I, on the other hand, have no problem killing time with my reading. This time I had a Wired magazine to keep me occupied.

Homer and I got back home and the realtor had left a note. We had four parties drop by the house. Not that impressive in my opinion. Well, four is better than nothing I guess. No offers ... yet.

Now the house feels empty. The Wife will be gone until Tuesday so it's only us guys here. I think I will blow the night and veg in front of the Oscars. To compensate for the lack of a Wife, I bought a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Not the same thing but it will have to do.

Our First ... Chaotic ... Showing

Last Friday I received a phone call at a quarter to three asking if they could show the house. I said "Sure. When will you be by?" Her response was "We're in the area." At this point I went into a minor panic. I asked her when she would be there again and all she would say is "We're in the area." I told her that I could be out of the house in about 30 minutes and ran around the house like a crazy man putting things away and straightening things up. I managed to have everything pretty much ready to go in 15 minutes.

I got Homer in the car - I'd already walked him so he got to go out again - and drove down to a nearby beach. We call this beach Florence Saperstein beach because one of the benches is dedicated to Florence, a teacher, and the Wife usually rests on that bench when she rides her bike to the beach. When I got there I realized I hadn't packed Homer's leash so I rummaged around in the trunk and came up with a piece of rope long enough to work. I walked Homer on the beach for 20 to 25 minutes before getting back in the car.

While I'd forgotten the leash, and water for Homer, I did have my book - priorities, priorities - and I did some reading while Homer watched people and dogs go by. He would whimper each time he saw another dog. Poor fella.

At 4:00 I figured that they should have been there and gone by now so I drove back home and slowly cased the joint looking for evidence of a realtor. I didn't see any and then the Wife came out with a confused look on her face. I explained about the realtor and we looked for evidence of her but found none. Sure enough, at 4:15 the door bell rings and it's the realtor and her client. This time the my running around was accompanied by the Wife as we leashed Homer one more time and took a long walk around the neighborhood.

I hope all our house showing don't go that way. I think next time I will leave a note with my cell number on it and ask the realtor to give me a call when they leave. I want lots of showings but man it's going to be a pain in the a$$. The only one who got something positive out of this was Homer. He's seen more new stuff and got more exercise in the last week then he usually gets in a month.

The Beach, The Ducks, and The Caravan Of Realtors

Today we took one more step towards the big move. Our realtor organized a "Caravan of Realtors" to show off the house. Since most realtors don't want to meet the actual people who live in the house, Homer and I got in the car and we drove down to nearby Hueneme Beach to kill a few hours - four hours to be exact.

This was the first time of hopefully many that I will have to evacuate the house to allow it to be shown. I wasn't sure what to do because having a dog in your car is a little limiting. I'm not one of those people who leaves their dogs in the car unattended. It doesn't seem fair to the dog. But then, I've never been in the situation where Homer was with me and I couldn't just go home. I decided that Hueneme Beach was a good choice as it was close by and there are lots of places to walk along the beach. I had my camera with me and I was going to see if I could get some pictures while I was out. You can find the pictures here along with other pictures I have taken at Hueneme Beach.

I decided to start by tiring Homer out and we headed out on a walk. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach and, even though most people ignore that rule, I kept to the sidewalks. The sidewalk follows the beach and a channel that winds through some apartment/condo complexes. The channel was full of ducks and even a few geese (At least I think that's what they were). A mother with a stroller was feeding the ducks and she attracted quite a crowd. I was surprised that Homer was pretty good around the ducks and he even stood still so I could take pictures - he usually at the end of his leash pulling me along.

We had a good walk and got back to the car after about an hour. Great, just three more hours to kill. I got in the car with Homer, opened the windows to let the cool sea breeze in and read for another two and a half hours. Homer sat in the back seat watching all the people walking along the beach. Every now and then he would growl at a passing dog. He eventually got bored and laid down. So did I - I rested my eyes a little bit before we headed back home.

While this was delightful, I'll have to come up with an alternative plan. I think Homer was a little bored. I may have to investigate dog parks in the area so he can run around a bit.

When we got back I found out between nine and a dozen realtors had come by. The note our realtor left sounded a little disappointed in my opinion. Oh well, it's a start. Now we sit back a wait for the offers to roll in.

Lazy Homer

I am settling into the role of house-husband pretty well. The Wife thinks the house has never been so clean - I think that's an exaggeration. Anyway, I thought about enlisting the help of Homer with some of the chores. Since he is often the last out of bed in the morning, I suggested he make the bed. Below is his response: