The Freedom of Walking Off Leash at The Lake - Summer 2008

Word of the Day

Mattricide - The act of removing the "do not remove" tag on a mattress, thus somehow rendering the mattress invalid.

It sure is starting to get cold in the mornings. This morning's temperature when I woke up was 45°F. Although I wore a warm sweater on my walk with Gypsy this morning, I wished I had worn a winter jacket and some gloves. Gypsy and I encountered a woman who was not only wearing a winter jacket and gloves, she was wearing ear muffs. I'm not sure I would go that far but since my long hair tends to keep my ears covered, maybe I'd change my mind if I had short hair. My hands are still freezing. If it's this cold tomorrow morning, I may wear my winter jacket and gloves. I imagine I'd be a bit more comfortable wearing long pants and some socks and shoes instead of capris and sandals. Oh well...this is the transitional period when I really should be wearing warmer clothes in the mornings and then changing into cooler clothing for the afternoon. I'm just lazy and don't want to have to do all that much laundry.

I was going to wait a bit before taking Gypsy out for a walk but she's becoming rather insistent when it comes to our morning rituals. She kept racing over to the front door and then back to me and than back to the front door. Only a vocalized demand would have made her point a bit clearer and I knew that would have been next. She wanted her morning walk. I imagine she'll want to play a rousing game of fetch next. Blog first, than fetch.

Gypsy and I are getting back onto a training regimen. Having spent the entire summer off leash at The Lake, she'd forgotten all about how to walk, politely, on leash. We're working on it during our morning walks. I did finally break down and bought a training collar (choke chain). My folks gave me one that they had but it was too big. Gypsy isn't all that big. At 11.5 lbs., she weighs less than either of my chihuahuas. They weren't teacup chihuahuas but they weren't all that big. Gypsy may bulk up a bit more as she gets older but it's doubtful that she'll ever weigh as much as her Dad (18#) or her Mom (15#). As far as training goes, she's doing pretty good on heeling but tends to forget when greeted with distractions like other dogs or friendly people. She's doing well with sitting on command...with just a gentle reminder on occasion.

Actually, the weather has cooled to the point where the highs of the day are only in the 80's. HTP and I have been able to avoid using the AC for the last few days. By the time I've cleaned up the kitchen, after supper dishes are all loaded into the dishwasher, I can open up the windows for the night. By morning the house has cooled off to last the entire day without AC.

Murphyism of the Day

Shapiro's Law of Reward

The one who does the least work will get the most credit.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos.

- Stephen Jay Gould (1941 - 2002)