Attack Toby

I have little to add today.  However, I believe you need to watch the video below.  This is Toby and me on the beach.  Toby, as a full-throttle-jack-russell-terror, sees play as the 4th  5th most important thing in his life.  Number one being food.  Two is water.  Three is sleep and four is his Mommy(Cora), with whom he cuddles readily, and even likes to mix both three AND four together. This is when you find him sleeping on her lap.  He is NOT spoiled, we just hate to see a puppy in need.

Which brings me to today's post.  As a puppy, he would play almost incessantly, then fall down in a pile of sleepy puppy.  He would go into what we called TURBO about five to seven times a day.  Turbo, if you are not familiar with Jack Russells, is when all the energy that has built up inside him in the time since his last turbo is released in a sudden burst of running, jumping, barking or fun-growling, and general abandon.  This often sees Toby run from one end of the house to another.  Rather than simply turn around as other dogs will do, Toby will make the next step UP to keep his kinetic energy up.  He walks on the wall...or the door...or whatever vertical object offers itself for the task.  So, instead of slowing down for a corner, Toby continues his high speed run and simply corners on the wall, a lot like the NASCAR tracks that have high banked ends.  

He used to make fifteen to 25 circuits, however, nowadays he is down to about seven.  

I took Cora's car in for a replacement part today.  As I was sitting there, trying to read my book, a lady came in with two dogs, which appeared to be over-weight basset hounds.  When she got to where the waiting area was, though, I realized that these were too short to be basset hounds, as they have longer bodies.  Then one of them began to wail, and I realized it was a REALLY FAT pair of beagles!  The lady let them move freely.  They were asthmatic and slow moving.  

She said they were born in July 2002.  I thought about that, looking at these gray-muzzled, slow-moving, lethargic, fat dogs, and realized that Toby was born on March 11, 2002...several months before these behemoths!  And MY dog is in the apparent prime of his life!  He is handsome and, although he might be better if he lost a pound or two, at least he isn't a fifty pound Beagle!

  

He's 23 pounds of pure fun!

Full speed or sleep...

I love my puppy dog.  And, really, who can call their 8 year old dog a puppy after 8 years?  No one, except Jack Russell owners...

oh, and you might be wondering what number 6 is on the Jack Russell list of things to do...well, that is easy:  Pee.  They like to pee on things.

My Dog

This is a picture of Toby while I was on the ladder putting up siding.  He had no apparent fear of me dropping anything on him.  He's a good dog.

Mornings

Mornings, so often, come too early.  Yet, sometimes, I awake with a strange and distinct feeling of being refreshed.  Today is such a morning.  I was awake at 3am, 433am, 454am, and finally at 532.  I decided to just get up the final time.  I had already let Toby come to bed with us a little early, since it is his birthday.  So, I sit, drinking my coffee surfing the internet in the quiet of the morning.  The heater coming on once in a while, or the refrigerator coming on the only sound in the house.  Soon, the crows across the street will begin cawing, or perhaps a dog will bark and the morning noise will begin, but for now it is quiet.  Ahh, peace.

About the boy.  Our little dog who thinks he's big, is eight years old today.  We got him in April or May of 2002 (Cora will have a better memory of the exact date, I do better with airplanes and ships).  He was so small and so cute back then.

This Photo was probably taken when he was about a year old.  He had boundless energy and would go into "Turbo" at any time at the drop of a hat.  ("Turbo" would seem to be a common phrase when describing Jack Russells)  He is a very smart dog, but he chooses when to use that intelligence, as he at times has great hearing and others seems to be just a tad deaf.  The latter is usually when he is outside running at Mach 3.

His "Turbo" moments, where he suddenly has to use his stored energy because if he doesn't he might explode and destroy a small city, are fewer and farther between these days, but they still happen at least two to three times a day.  I suspect they would happen more often, but he is not allowed that chance in the house.  When he DOES go "Turbo" it is difficult on both the house and us.  He zooms from one end of the house to the other.  Often, instead of turning like a normal dog, he caroms(bounces) off the door, wall, or back of the couch.  In order to make these exacting changes in course, the surface he bounces off of needs to be roughly 90 degrees from the vertical.  If there is an untethered rug in the way, assume it will be moved up against the wall.  If he hits it at the wrong angle or something is not as stable as he calculates you can bet he will smash down on his side, but this does not phase him, nor slow him down.

He enjoys hunting small animals and is ferocious and courageous and nearly unstoppable in that quest.  He has been the bane and joy of our lives...amazing what you will turn to when you don't have kids.  He is king of the house, and would tell you that if he could talk.  We have tried to explain that WE are actually in charge, since he would not eat if we did not feed him.  He rarely shows any inclination to listen to our lectures, though.  His favorite toy is his Monkey and he gets nervous and upset when it disappears into the washer.

He was the discount dog.  He has a brown nose and is not show-worthy.  I don't know about that, I think he is pretty cool as dogs go.  We have spent almost eight years with him.  I suppose I would have to be heartless to not be fond of this energetic and loving dog.  It is difficult to deny he has charm.  Sometimes, after I get home, he will crawl onto my lap and demonstrate his ability to be content.  It is the SIGH of CONTENTMENT that gives it away.  Yesterday, he bulldozered onto my lap and would not take no for an answer, of course, my efforts against it were half-hearted at best.  Happy Birthday little dog.

  
Note the grass stain on that little butt.  If you got this in an e-mail passed around on the internet, you have been looking at OUR Toby's butt...Still cute!

Walk

When left alone, television becomes boring.  I was left alone last night.  Cora went to be with her sister for the birth of our newest niece!  It is awesome to be a new uncle...now, four times over.

I was at home all day.  At about 11 PM I decided to take Toby for a walk.  I took him to the park.  There was absolutely no one to be seen.  So I let him off the leash.  He thought he was in heaven.  I walked quietly with him.  The traffic on the highway zipped by in flashes of light and whooshes of sound.  Toby was a white spot in the dark.  He was SO happy to be free and exploring without me disturbing him except to sound off when I lost sight of him.  He would zoom by me in an extension of his parabolic orbit to let me know he heard me.  I was very proud of his behavior.  He is a good dog, he just has lots of energy!

We had walked through the territory of two exceptionally loud and annoying chihuahuas on the way out.  Toby was very polite and did not jerk the leash.

On the way back from the park, I got a text that announced that there was a new little girl in the world, and that she happened to be my niece!  I was ecstatic!  We were walking home with Toby OFF his leash.  since it was 11pm and it is our small town...well, it wasn't necessary.  We were within less than a block of home and crossed the street when the dog of one of our neighbors let loose a war cry and began to close in.  Toby did not have a leash.  He is a good 25-30 lbs.

The dog that made the report is a papillion that might be 12 lbs when he is soaking wet.  I said, "go get him!" and off Toby went.  It was a large parabolic intercept.  Toby began to cut off the attacker, and the attacker became the defender and when Toby got within 6 or 7 feet, there was a strange, plaintive high pitched yip that issued from the little aggressor.  Toby never made a noise.  I called Toby off and he came back.  The little guy decided Toby's withdrawal was a retreat and made chase...yet he kept his distance.  It was all very amusing.  The little guy never got very close after that, though he did bark.

Overall, it was a fun walk!  Not a bad way to spend a weekend!

Toby, Via Phone

I am forever amused by my Jack Russell Terror. I took him shooting yesterday and he made friends with some wonderful people from Enumclaw...who came to the valley for fruit, and to shoot. They were amazed to see him rocket up the hill about 1/4 mile and then come back and then do it again. They were pleasantly surprised to see him drink out of my water bottle...relatively efficiently, I might add.

Cora bought a pillow for BB's room. We moved a small bed into his room and we were looking through some of the things we may want to tke with us to Burundi, when Toby wandered in. He quickly determined the most comfortable spot in the room, and lay there. We found him too cute to move. It takes a lot of energy to charm strangers.

I eventually covered him with my shirt...he is not spoiled in the least. I took these with my phone.

Baby

I don't like my dog. I did not cover him with my shirt because he was shivering in his sleep. Somehow, the shirt just materialized over him. What was cutest though was his little moan of contentment after it covered him. Cuteness...it's a good thing he has significant amounts.

I subbed for third graders today. It was nice. They were a good bunch. I have had worse. The nice thing? I subbed for another teacher whose plan period was at the last of the day. So, I got off a bit early. I used the extra time for a long needed haircut.

My coloring sheets continue to garner popular acceptance from the kids. Several expressed doubt that I had indeed created the coloring seets they were doing. So, using the document viewer, I proved to them that I could draw a decent picture. I did not mind, and it usually keeps them quiet while they watch me draw something. I finished the day signing autographs...weird, I know, but, if the kids are happy, they are not necessarily looking into other ways to create mischief!

The weather continues to be spectacular! It was 75! I mowed the lawn and we had a good dinner. What a day. I think the weather is the main part of it.

Birthdays and Recent News

It's been a busy week. I've posted, but not many pictures...I tried to fix that tonight.
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My Birthday was Monday...yep thirty-five. Still, at least I am younger than Erin!
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I worked Maintenance this week. I got up and left by 7 each morning; a bit earlier than one does for substitute teaching. I have been forced to do physical labor. As a normally functioning American, I avoid exertion, so this "physical labor" thing is more than a little disconcerting. Now I get to rest!
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We got a referral for a baby boy in Burundi. It looks as though we may be leaving shortly after school ends. We don't have a bunch of information on him, but we are looking forward to every morsel our agency gets. It's only taken 9 1/2 years...but we may yet become parents! Oh, Happy Day! Oh, and to all those who have congratulated us and linked to us on your blogs, thank you!
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Toby continues to try to ignore his pending obscelecence and maintains that his proper place is between us and the computer...wait until he sees BB!

The weather has been weird. Wind. Rain. Snow. Hail. Sunshine. Here are some photos of the hail we got last night...bigger than peas. And it sounded like a freight train on the roof!

note the streak in the passenger door of the car. Also the streak between the bumper of the truck and the hose...

Amazing. I know that people from the midwest have seen bigger hail, but I have also lived through a volcano, blizzards, earth quakes, and floods. When you've had all those, then we can compare the size of our hail. So, BRING IT!

I made flank steak rolled around feta and Spinach for dinner. I added a bit of bacon wrapped around that, and it was...YUMMY!

We meant to go celebrate Ryan's birthday( brother-in-law) with him tonight, but, the referral has us wanting to get things done around the house. Also, Gypsy has escaped twice this week. I need to put in an electric fence so we can fry the stupid dog. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!! I know that if we went down and celebrated with you, we'd end up staying way too late and enjoy ourselves way too much. We would not want to leave and so we probably would get home sometime Sunday evening. We would not get anything done and we need to do that! Cora is also still suffering from her cold...You should see the color of her snot! So, it is definitely best if we stay home, despite our wishes. Happy Birthday my friend!

Mist It By That Much...

So, I did not work today. It sucks. So, I worked around the house. I did some laundry and dishes, as usual, and then I also finshed shampooing the front room...looks nice now. I did run to town for a few items, and then took Cora lunch.

I came out of the store and the overcast had cleared some and then I noticed the hills to the south. The clouds were pouring over Ahtanum Ridge. It was cool, but the photos don't do it justice. This photo is from the truck as I head into the mist at the gap.

When I left Cora's place of work I spotted some box cars and took a few pictures. This one is interesting, but I am unsure of the implied meaning, as is often the case with this kind of art.

When I finally got home, I found Toby in my chair. He is stretching here, but looks like he is giving me a lazy smile.

So, the day ends and I am still awaiting a teacher to fall ill...come on you teachers! Get sick or take the day off!

Slow Day

I did not get a teaching job today...but then it is the first day back after break...what teacher would miss the first day back? Few, I am sure. I stopped at the maintenance shop, but they did not need an extra hand today. Cora stayed home with a bit of a stomach bug. I worked around the house tidying things up and doing some laundry. I also mde soe chicken soup in hopes of nursing her back to health and sending her off to work. LOL! Nah, I just wanted her to feel better. We WERE scheduled to attend my youngest nephew's birthday party tonight, but Cora was still feeling nasty and we did not think it advisable to take her ailment with us to my sister's.

I rented a movie. Wanted. It's a pretty good show. There is a point where there are rats on the screen, making attendant rat noises. Cora and I got a kick out of it when Toby, who had been sound asleep in his bed, JUMPED up and started sniffing around the TV stand looking for the source of the rodent noises... Can you tell he is a rodent hunting SOB? (He really is the son of a bitch.) Anyway, it was funny.

I did get two requests for the rest of this week...however, I am already taken. Music for the rest of the week. I also got three jobs for later this month...at least they did not forget me over Christmas Break!

Elephant Dog! or Toby Torture!

This is what happens when Toby gets too close while I am putting on my shoes, especially if I have an appropriate sock in hand. I don't mind putting-off putting-on my shoes for a minute or so to enjoy his antics. It is amazing how perfectly the sock conforms to his contours...and I love the head-shaking dance he does trying to get it off.

Cora has some sort of psychic link to my deviousness, and usually calls from the other room for Toby to come to her so she can take the sock off his head (No, this is not the first time I have done this). I am not certain this is her way of tormenting him more or if she actually thinks that making him wander through the house blindly bumping into walls and Gypsy in his attempt to both reach her AND get the sock off his head is actually helpful...I prefer to think she is just as devious as I am. Because of the entertainment value, I rarely interfere with her "Rescue" efforts.

Ah, the pleasures of being a pet owner...I can't wait to get kids! I think I can be MUCH more creative than I have been!