There are advantages for not having TV.

No time for tea this morning. I need to get on the road to town for some fencing. Robbing peter to pay Paul so to speak in the dog yard. Long story photos to follow when I get it done. Easier for me that way.

I did switch out the little foot board fence in front for a REAL head board fence with a gate at each end. Pure dumb luck because I did not plan this the little headboard which is the gate happened to come out exactly at my walkway. PHEW So happy about not having to move the walkway one way or the other. I just need to add one more stepping stone at the gate and then some more going down to the carport. It is done except for paint and it is too late in the year to be painting. This project was on my to do in the Spring list so very happy to have it done. Well except for the wire that goes up on it so the dog can not get out. Why I need to go get wire today. I will also close in across the front end of the carport when I get the wire.

Happy Tuesday Shades and Happy Iowa!

I just got back from voting. As if that was not stressful enough, the 8-10 women that were the poll monitors, "election inspectors"?, were out of control. They were laughing and visiting across the room like it was old home week; they were being way too loud and distracting. One woman was shouting "I brought a book to read!" and from the far corner of the building another one chimed in "I did too!" They were being so disruptive I couldn't read the text on my ballot sheet.

I wanted to smack them all and give them a speech on 'this is a serious event, a serious job, and you're giving all women a bad name since you obviously can't do your sworn duties in a serious, mature, and careful manner.'

Of course, I didn't do any lecturing or smacking - but I wanted too!

It's sunny, mild, no wind and 60 degrees outside. Unbelievable.

I'm having re-heated tea from this morning. I have to have Harry at the vet for a check up and health/pain assessment at 3:30 p.m. That means I'll have to hoist his 72 lb. self up in the car by 2:30 p.m.. He can not jump up in the car any more; he can't even jump up on "his" loveseat without one of us boosting up his backside. I need to rig up a ramp of some sort since it's very difficult for me to lift him up into the car alone.

Wes put the huge dog cage in the cargo area of my CRV last night. I have dog blankets in it so it should be all good. Before he would just ride up front with me, or in the little cargo area if he wished, but since there could be stress-related accidents, I want to be prepared.

When I get home I'm topping off all the bird feeders and putzing around in the yard a bit.

I have everything to make a goulash that I had planned for dinner, but that will be for tomorrow. I picked up subs at the little grocery and got some veggies to plump them up with.

Do we know anyone in Portland, Maine?

Our Scotts Prisoner of War group has been made aware of a book at the historical society there; Scotch exiles in New England, Author: Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn, 1850-1927, author.
Mat. Type Archival Material
Publisher 1922.

Maybe it's a gold mine. Maybe it isn't.

Imhappy, I don't know of anyone in Portland, Maine, but I looked up the Maine Historical Society and there are articles by Everett Stackpole.

Shades, looks like an interesting project you got going there. I look forward to seeing how it all turns out.

Caroline, I hope you and Harry had a successful trip to the vet. I can't imagine having to get a boy that size up into the car. I hope all went well.

I decided to go riding this morning with my friend. Usually I ride her horse but today she got to ride her own horse :) and I rode another friend's horse. He is also a sorrel and his name is Arrow. He was trained by the Amish. He is a pretty good ride but this was only the second time I've ridden him and I don't feel like I know him well yet. We had a wonderful ride, crunching through the leaves and winding down the many paths. We actually ran into another rider. That almost never happens. We usually have the trails all to ourselves. This man had a really nice quarter horse. Arrow got a little excited at seeing a strange horse, but I got him calmed down and he behaved good for the most part.

I came home and walked the dogs and then fed them and then left to go and vote. My polling place is just 2 minutes down the road and while they had quite a few people voting, I didn't have to wait more than about 3 minutes.

I really could use a nap right about now. It's chilly out and getting dark. Maybe I will go find a throw and cover up and snooze for a short time.

PHEW home from town drinking more Chi tea before I head out to unload the car of 10 more pavers and two rolls of the welded wire. I am done in and did not get done all I had hoped to do.

While I was voting the National Christmas tree in its special truck with rear windows so people can view the tree pulled up on the highway siding. Also the Idaho Potato truck with it carrying the ornaments. They sure are taking a circuits route. It started out in McCall 69 miles north up the highway then down to Boise and who knows where then back to Weiser yesterday and now here today. That is the government for you. Well it is the Peoples tree so it was nice to get to see it and there were even some decorations on it. The truck is so long as the tree is 80 foot tall. Lots of official type escorts. Pretty impressive. But why spend so much money when any old tree would do??? Oh well not my decisions. Add another trillion to the national debt. LOL

Caroline I do hope the vet run went well for both of you.

Murraysmom your ride sounds wonderful. I have not ridden in so many years. I hope I do get to ride again some day.

Yes, he wrote a lot but we need to know what this one says Scotch exiles in New England, Author: Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn. Two people have offered to go and see if it's useful to us. We hope there can be an online copy so we can all read it. Don't know if they will be able to work that out with the historical society. It would be swell if it could be on the Scottish POW web site. Or at least on the Portland historical site and SPOW web site could link to it.

Good luck. I hope you are able to find it and use it!

Lyrics

That's great! It starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane, and Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs, don't misserve your own needs
Feed it up a knock, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter with a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And a government for hire and a combat site
Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the Furies breathing down your neck

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
Look at that low plane, fine, then
Uh-oh, overflow, population, common group
But it'll do, save yourself, serve yourself
World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

Six o'clock, TV hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh-oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives, and I decline

It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)

The other night I dreamt a nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right? Right

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine (It's time I had some time alone)

Written
by Bill Berry, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe, Michael E. Mills, Michael
J. Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck, Peter Lawrence Buck, William Berry •
Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

I need a good cup of tea right now - no waiting until next Tues. I'm horrified at the protests (not very "peaceful") over Trump's winning the election. Yes, I did vote for him - didn't like either candidate but disliked him the least. So no "victory party" - just a feeling of relief that the other candidate did not win. But just when did we become a Third World nation where people take to the streets when they don't like the outcome of an election, and the media is actually encouraging this? Good grief! I voted in my 13th Presidential Election on Tues; my candidate has won 7 times and lost 6, so pretty even. I've greatly disliked some who won but I love our country more and the peaceful transition of power is one of our strongest traditions.

I sometimes think that when we stopped teaching History and Civics in school, and substituted "Social Studies", whatever that may be, we lost much. Now I know we lost the fact that we don't take to the streets when we don't like the outcome of an election - it's simply not the "American Way". When I see reader's comments in the NYTimes hysterically saying "What will I tell my 3rd graders tomorrow now that this apocalyptic horror has occurred?", I'm astounded. What you will tell them is that we had an election, one candidate won, the other lost and civilization as we know it will continue to exist. One would think that Storm Troopers were going to appear and haul people out of their beds!

And then there is the fact that my most beloved Godfrey, my 14 yr old Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has prostate cancer, which is always highly aggressive in dogs and his life expectancy will be measured in weeks/months. I'm devastated - doubly so a I lost my beloved husband to the same thing 11 years ago. What an irony...

So, I need a cup of tea and perhaps a nap, too.

Anglophila--Amen. We are one nation under god. The election is over and one candidate won, the other lost. Now we come together and support the winner for the good of the country.

Anglophilia - I feel the same about the protests. on another forum, someone asked basically what you posted about 'telling the kids'. I posted to her 'you tell them the same that conservatives told their kids when Obama won'. life goes on. you do the best you can with what you've got.

I do think kids are raised so differently now. a good number of them anyway. if my kids were out there protesting, I'd go drag 'em in. OTOH, my kids are now in their 40s... lol! they weren't much for protesting - tho, I did take them with me to 'protest' an abortion clinic in the 70s. our 'protest' was mostly silent tho. no yelling, pushing, forcing anyone anything. we carried a sign. gave out info if someone wanted it... not like today's world.

I heard a history teacher at a college back E (small Christian) on tv today talking about the revisionist history. He doesn't have his students pay the 200.00 for a book (he said) with false info in it. Young people today don't know 'cause they haven't been taught. books can't come home with kids either. we used to bring our books home to do our homework... my mom could have looked at any of my books to see what I was being taught... now parents can't. There's a reason for that...

anyway, this group on tv were talking about the new black museum and some who aren't in it...and some who are. Clarence Thomas isn't in... Anita Hill IS in... etc. It is sad, very sad that our kids / gkids aren't learning our real history. This gma buys history books/videos and bible story/studies/videos for the gkids on birthdays and Christmas.

the other forum I'm on is very liberal - the majority of women on it are in mourning now. they are grieving, crying. one waseven 'hiding in a closet crying '. and these women are mothers... not hard to guess why their kids are upset about Trump.

I wasn't for Trump either and planned not to even vote. The I read an article by a minister (Jim Garlow/it's online) and realized I was wrong in my thinking about it. It changed my whole outlook about it. It would be one of the 2 and he was the only option for me. So, I went out to vote... knowing I couldn't stand in line and not sure how I would manage it. Well, I got there and there wasn't one single person in line. not one single person in the room to vote. Just me (and the workers) - at least for a few minutes. But I didn't have to wait in a line and they had a 'booth' with a chair so I could sit down. Our ballots are marked by hand for each choice. I'd forgot to check out the judges up for renewal, but they had a booklet there that I used to check their judicial ratings before deciding.

Anglophilia I am so sorry to hear the news of your pup. Hugs to you.

I plan to give their president the same respect they gave mine.

I am still taking down fence to put elsewhere and replacing it will a different type of wire. I have three panels done so far and the ones removed also put up in another area of the yard to keep the cows out.. So it is shift a little here and there and eventually I will get it done.

It was Trump who said there'd be riots in the streets if he wasn't elected.

Anglophilia - I forgot to post about Godfrey! I'm so sorry to read that he is so sick. it's just devastating when our babies get sick, injured or we have to take them for their wings. It just rips the heart out. I most recently went thru it in maybe it was 2012 and 2013. My boy and then my girl. Sometimes it just seems it's more than the heart can bear. Prayers for Godfrey and for you.

Anglophilia, I'm sorry about your dog, too. I have experienced the loss as well and know how hard this is for you. I can "hear" it in your voice.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts about Godfrey. He's on meds and doing so well one would never know that this disease is going to kill him in a few months. Hard to even wrap my head around it. I love him SO much - a once in a lifetime dog. Here is a picture taken a few years ago - he has not changed at all - still a gorgeous boy.

He's wearing his Easter bow and looks exactly like the famous Landseer painting called "The Cavalier's Pets". Shimmer, my tricolor, wasn't in this picture or it really would be identical.

Godfrey is a very Handsome Fella.

I took my dog Clancy to town with me today and he created quite a stir at both stores I went to with his howling in the car when I would walk off and leave him. People were worried some thing was terrible wrong with him. I am not sure how long it is going to take him to get over this foolishness. He is having big time separation anxiety. He is quiet when I get back to the car so I am not sure how long he keeps it up. I think I need to put signs in the car windows explaining his issues to let people know he is fine. And it certainly was not too hot for him today in the car. He needs to learn better car manners if I am going to travel with him and the only way to teach him is to take him with me as often as I can. They really are such big babies. Working really hard on the whole yard fence so I can finally have him out in the whole yard with me when I am working out there. I think he will like that.

What we do for our animals! Ha, ha! Anglophilia, Godfrey is adorable!! I love Cavaliers! So you have another as well?

Shades, I have never had the guts to take my dogs anywhere and leave them in the car. I have no idea what they would do. They are fine when I leave the house and have given them a cookie. But if I go outside and start walking away, they bark and bark! Crazy dogs!

oh, Godfrey is soooo cute! what a precious little face!

oh yeah... they are our babies, aren't they?

your Clancy is saying 'mooooooooom, dooooon't leeeeeeave me aloooone out here!' Shades, you really should leave a note on the window so no one worries. I'd worry - maybe. knowing how my dog is tho... ha! She barks if I go outside to hang out laundry - and she can see me. Usually if I go in the car I think she lies down and dreams of having a dog party... sometimes she'll be lying in front of the patio door watching when I come home.

note: "the dog is fine. He just likes making me feel guilty for having a life..."

yrs ago when I was still working, I rescued a dog but didn't have a set up for her really. I left her home inside the first day in the bathroom and she just about totally demolished it. the next day I took her to work and left her in the car in the parking garage (it was March). She was fine. co-workers would stop and say hi to her. I went out at break to see her. She went to lunch with me (drive thru). then home at 5. After she got out, went potty and had dinner, THEN she went out to the car and just sat down next to the back door! She was ready to go again! She loved it in the car. She could have lived in it. BUT, with summer not far off, I couldn't let her do that. But she did go to 'work' with me every day for a few weeks until I got her an 'outside' house (and tent) set up.

btw, I parked my car right next to the elevator and stairway (2nd flr parking), so she had a lot of company visiting her thru-out the day!

LOL Murraysmom, We used to always take the dogs every time we went any where. Then when Joe got sick it was just too hard to take them. Now Tillie is also gone poor Clancy is alone as a dig. I am sure he would partly prefer to be left at home with his kitties but if I do plan on traveling with him and not taking him to the kennel then he needs to get used to the car again. He does not do anything crazy to the car or never has, Just his agonizing howling when I walk away and leave him. He also does it when I leave him in the house and go to work in the yard. Our beloved old Groucho used to howl a lot too. Maybe it is more of a male dog thing. Tillie yipped verses howling.

The kennel lady was good to him he just refused to eat for her for the whole time I was gone and probably will do the same with me traveling although I do remember he did eat in the motel room when we had to be to the hospital at the crack of dawn one time. We just stayed down in Boise close to the hospital.

Are you all using a crate in the car and in the house? In the car, it's the only truly safe way for the dog and for you. Most dogs consider a crate their "den" and feel safe in it.

Anglophili I only used a crate in the car when the dogs were puppies. I do not think I can even get a crate in my car the size I would need for Clancy now. He stays in the back seat. At least he remembers his training on that. In fact I know when I bought his crate he used for a dog house I had to take it apart and nest the two pieces and it barely fit then. I have seriously considered using the doggie seat belt. Course I would have to buy one.

Our Tillie liked her house crate as she was a shy dog but that actually started even more issues for her and her shyness. So I made her a nest in the bedroom under a table with curtain sides for a couple of years. Then removed one side at a time and finally the table and she did much better. Clancy never was crated in the house he never needed it.

No crates for my two either. Carmelita had a very nice playpen when she was a pup, but neither needs containment in the house. I only take them in the car to either the kennel or the vet, so I am sure that is why they don't enjoy going anywhere in the car.

I do have a cautionary tale though. My sister-in-law drives around a lot and she takes her little Havanese with her all the time. She has a seat with a seat belt hooked up for. This recently came in handy when she accidentally hit a deer!!! Everything in the car went flying. But Peyton was strapped in and I am sure it saved her life!!

Murraysmom. This is exactly why I was seriously considering the back seat belt for my dog. I think it would be a safety feature for both of us. Clancy has only been to the kennel once in his life and I know the kennel lady was good to him but he just refused to eat so hoping he can learn to travel with me. He quite his whining after a few miles. Then just lays down on the seat in back. Hoping he settles in to become a traveling dog.

Dogs in cars (and cats, especially) simply must be restrained in some fashion for their own safety. If nothing else, the dog might escape after an accident and never again be found or might run out into traffic. I know - you grew up with your dog in the back seat with his head out the window or in the back of a pick-up. We just didn't know any better then.

When I go to buy a new car, the crates go with me. If they don't fit, it's a deal-breaker!

Shades, does your kennel do day care? Maybe you could leave Clancy there for small periods of time so that he can be ok with it. That what my kennel did before I ever left my two there. I still remember the time I took them in and the girl said "oh good, Fred and Carmelita are here. Some of their friends are already here". I know they are in good hands and safe. My concern with taking them with me on a trip is that I then spend the entire time worrying about them and looking after them. I love them dearly, but sometimes it's just needs to be about me. :) LOL

Anglo, I do keep my leashes on the dogs when they are in the car. God forbid that something would happen, but at least if they got out they have a better chance of being caught.

I also leave my leash on in the car. Clancy is a large dog. And I am looking to buy a larger vehicle so I can haul things like stepping stones potting soil fence posts but I plan on keeping my smaller good gas mileage car until I run it into the ground. Hubby bought an extended warranty on it I did not know about when thinking on trading it in. Our favorite car salesman said Joe wanted me to keep this car. Every where I have to go around here is at least 40 miles so I need to be concerned with good gas mileage.I do keep my kitties in crates when traveling to the vet. I totally agree on that one.

Angelo I am not disagreeing with you it would be safer to have Clancy in a crate in the car. It just is impossible. We did crate Tillie in the car for years. She was a much smaller dog than Clancy.

The kennel Clancy went to and my only option had separate runs for each dog. Even if you have two dogs the lady will not put them together in a run. It is a lovely kennel. And lady is very nice and you can tell she really loves the dogs.

So finally my fence is done. Another 145 foot up and the whole yard is closed in. There is a little bit of tweaking needed but I need to rake leaves again before I go back to the tweaking on it. I am not even sure what I need to do to get a gate latch. I will figure it out but for now it is too cold out there to be standing around thinking about it. AND it is going to rain so I really want to get the leaves in the driveway raked again.

Yes, kitty is always in the crate in the car!!

Boy OH Boy do I ever have one happy dog. I was finally able to let Clancy out in the lower yard with me and he was thrilled to be able to run all around the lawn and check out the fence line. Even got to bark at a dog coming down the street. I did one more bit of tweaking and now all I need to figure out is a gate latch going from picket like fence to T-post and there is no room to loop over the T post. Guess it will be a chain with hook on it to wrap around. I really prefer one handed gate openings so still working this over in my brain.

Just as I was finishing up the predicted rains were starting. I am done in the yard for today. I will warm up some before I shower and wash my hair. Drinking hot tea to help with that.

Tomorrow will start the curtain sewing project for the dinning room and master bedroom.

Yay for Clancy! I really admire you for your ability to do a fence! And your other construction like projects that you tackle. I keep putting off painting the back door because I know it has the potential to go badly.

Murraysmom the fencing project has been an ongoing 8 year project. About 100 foot of it was already fenced by a fence the neighbor put up and a fence that has been there for years that is dog worthy safe. The dog yard was first and just a matter of setting up the green horse panels that had the galvanized cow panels already attached to them Instant dog yard. I did have to make gates. Then I did what I call the court yard area which was nice to give the dogs some lawn to run on but not much.

I have to repaint the trim on my doors again next year. Too late to do it this year. The snow wrinkles the paint right up no matter how hard I work to keep the snow cleaned away. Next year I am planning to paint the whole house so will do the all trim then. Yes I will be doing the painting. Not sure how I will be able to reach the tall gable ends being so fearful of heights and with vertigo I can not get too high up on the ladder. I will figure it out. I can not afford to hire some one. I need to start a painting fund. Paint used to be cheep. Not so much now.

Friend brought me 5 bags of leaves. So nice of her to do so. I need all the mulch i can get. I need to get them spread out this morning then onto the curtains.

Now I am even more in awe. :) You want leaves? I wish I could send you mind. Though I only have 2 trees in my yard - a sugar maple and a shag bark hickory nut - I still get lots of leaves from the neighbors.

I think I can still paint my door. It's the door to the back of the house, but there is a storm door too, so it shouldn't matter, right? I think my brother said the paint dries in 40 minutes to touch, 4 hours if I need to do a second coat. Lord, I hope not!!