This is what happens when we get out the bag of Milk Bone Trail Mix.
(I don’t know how to make the actual animated gif show up on this page, so click on the image and you’ll see it).
Category Archives: The Creatures
Cutlets for the Catlet.
Probably gonna be doing short posts all week, because I’m busy gearing up for Bubonicon this weekend (not to mention the pre-party on Thursday).
Sarah gave me a can of fancy-shmancy cat food to give to Lester. Check this stuff out:
Sardine cutlets. That damn cat eats better than I do — and his food certainly features much jauntier labels on the cans. I tried to get a picture of Lester licking his vile chops after downing half the can, but he leapt out the cat door and fled into the jungle.
In honor of the impending nerdiness of Bubonicon, I think we need some Star Trek bloopers (Original Series, natch):
Return of the Fly.
Script for issue #2 of the Dirk Benedict comic done and delivered. Now it’s full-tilt boogie on part 8 of Pete, Drinker of Blood until that’s done.
You might remember my post about Decker the Chihuahua’s fear of flies… last night we had another fly-in-the-house incident that was pretty goofy. I was lyin’ in bed watching an episode of Trailer Park Boys (highly recommended, by the way) when a large fly landed on the TV screen, walked around for a second, then flew off. Somehow, that was enough to wake Decker up and freak her out. She immediately jumped out of the bed and started running around the house, waking Casey up in the process. Then both dogs came in and told me they wanted to go out, so I got up and took ‘em outside.
After both dogs did their business, I started back towards the house, Casey right on my heels. Decker, however, wasn’t having any of it. She just stood where she was and looked at me like “There’s a fly in there, man!” I was able to lure her towards the door, but then she balked and ran back out to the yard, looking at me like I was out of my mind.
Somehow, I was able to convince her to come on inside (I think the words hot dog for everyone may have helped), but Decker was still freaked out by the idea that a fly was buzzing around somewhere in the house. She sat in the office doorway for a few minutes, looking this way and that as if ready to dive under the chair in there.
Eventually, she hesitantly wandered out into the living room, stared at me some more, then got in bed with Casey.
I went back to bed after that and fired up Trailer Park Boys again. Soon, Decker cautiously made her way into the bedroom, jumped into the bed, and burrowed under the old quilt. After that she was fine.
I don’t know what it is — I’ve seen her chase flies and other insects when she’s outside, but if a fly gets into the house, she goes ape. She spent an entire day under the Evel Knievel pinball machine once when three or four flies had gotten in and were zooming around.
And speaking of Trailer Park Boys, here’s a little video for you (F-word alert):
Bugs Bunny She Ain’t.
Not a lot of adventure to report today, really, but what there is, well — it’s pretty cool, simply because it involves swapping emails with Dirk Benedict and getting his notes on the script for issue #2 of the Dirk comic. He’s had me laughing out loud with some of his dialogue tweaks and changes. And he’s happy to talk about Sssssss, so there ya go.
Still busy as heck around here, getting ready for Bubonicon, writing Pete, Drinker of Blood part 8 (the final installment!), and working on the Dirk script. Got the first issue of Logan’s Run: Sleep, Sandman, Sleep in the pipeline, but I’ve gotta get Pete finished first.
She might not like carrots, but she loves her pillow.
Also got my hands full with Casey’s mysterious ailment, although we may have stumbled onto the cause: any of you ever heard of a dog being allergic to carrots? It’s a long story but pretty much the only thing we can pinpoint as a potential change in diet that coincides with the beginning of her weirdness. In any case, she’s hangin’ in there…
The Ears of the Beast.
Last night was a crazy festival of Chihuahua wrasslin’ — Decker’s been pawing at her ears a lot recently, not to mention fwapping the living hell out of them in the middle of the night and waking me up. We went through this last summer and it turned out to be a pair of very tiny ticks attached to her ear. I gave her a bath in flea-and-tick shampoo the other day, then cleaned her ears with Q-Tips (and brother, was that productive), but she’s still acting like they’re bugging her. I did a little online research and bought some drops that should take care of any mites, ticks or fleas as well as any remaining wax.
But I tell ya, it was like trying to hog-tie a wild calf, getting her to hold still for those drops. She hates having her ears or her feet messed with (kind of like me, now that I think about it), but I managed to convince her that it was gonna work out great and probably result in snacking. Once I got the drops in, I did the prescribed “massaging” of her ears, then let her go. She took off like a shot, leaping from couch to floor and running full-tilt boogie through the entire house, finally ending up in the office, where she rubbed her head against the carpet for awhile. It was a lot like this video of her, post-bath (you can hear that ear-fwapping sound in this clip, too):
And speaking of Decker being an oddball, she’s developed a strange new habit: she likes to carry laundry around the house. I keep finding my socks (and skivvies, sadly) all over the place.
Dawg Update, With Grotto (and Pete).
I’m pleased to report that the Casey-dawg seems to be pretty much back to normal. I’m still taking it a little easy with her food — she’s not entirely back on the dry stuff, but she’s getting more of that and less of the canned stuff with each meal, and it’s staying down just fine. She even looks to be gaining back some of the weight she lost. Plus — and she’s very happy about this — she’s been going outside unsupervised again, although she doesn’t know I peep at her through the windows.
Finished off part 7 of Pete, Drinker of Blood on Saturday, made tweaks today, and as I type this, it’s out to a few folks for the once-over. If all goes well, it’ll be available before the end of the week. I can’t believe there’s only one installment left after this one.
The grass (and other stuff) is growing like crazy in the ol’ Grotto now — it’s rapidly reaching the point where it would be a great place to play with GI Joe, circa 1972. Take a look at this post to see the difference.
The other day, I even noticed some of the thyme plants coming up — those, if you remember, are the seeds (well, some of them) I planted almost two months ago. I had given up on ‘em ever showing their faces, but suddenly, here they are. Nowhere near as many as I actually planted, but who knows, maybe they’ll keep on sproutin’ (to paraphrase Robert Crumb).
The grass is still kinda patchy in places but overall, I’m happy with the way the courtyard is shaping up. Good place to have your coffee in the morning. It’s amazing the way the plants keep it cooler back there, too. I’m fully aware that this sort of thing happens all the time, but it’s pretty cool to look back at the photos from just a couple months ago when I was still putting the patio stones down and everything was flat, dry dirt, and compare ‘em to the way it looks now.
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Snackless.
How is it possibly Friday already?
The Casey-dawg seems to be getting better and better. She’s off the soup and on canned dog food now, and this afternoon she even had a little of her dry food mixed into the canned stuff. I’m hoping I can start letting her go outside without supervision soon, too.
In the course of all this, Decker has been wondering why the supply of snacks has dried up, not understanding that I can’t possibly bear Casey’s big ol’ brown eyes staring at me as I give Deckie a tasty treat that she’s not allowed to have. As a result, the house overfloweth with doggy sadness.
On the writing end of things, part 7 of Pete, Drinker of Blood is moving right along.
Meanwhile, I’ve been watching episodes of Project UFO (thanks to Mel Smith) here and there when I get a chance. This one’s for you, Ian Tregillis:
Much Better Than BLT Flavor.
These chips may be the most appalling things I’ve ever eaten in my life, yet somehow they manage to be sort of tasty. Addictive, almost. But definitely appalling, from the first hint of pickle relish flavor to the stinging tang of fake mustard.
I think I need another handful.
Meanwhile, the Casey-dawg continues to improve, and Pete, Drinker of Blood part 7 is rolling right along.
The Dreaded Deadline Doom.
Man, just typing that title up there filled me with nostalgia for the old days of Marvel Comics, when you’d pick up the new issue of Spider-Man or The Fantastic Four and find it was actually a reprint, thanks to THE DREADED DEADLINE DOOM. When I was a little kid I didn’t know what it meant, but it sure sounded terrifying.
Image lifted from zak-site.com.
And it’s also my excuse for not writing a post yesterday, and why this one is lame. I’m under the gun on a couple different projects, and I’m still spending a lot of time taking care of the Casey-dawg every day, as well.
The Casey-dawg, by the way, had a little setback on Sunday night, but she did great yesterday, and she’s looking good so far today. We’re not outta the woods yet, but I’m pretty sure I can see the In-N-Out Burger from here. Whatever the hell that means.
Anyway — instead of a real blog post, I’ve got a question for you:
Which would you rather see?
1. A Flying Saucer (not simply a UFO, but a full-on saucer-shaped craft or black triangle or whatever, with no doubt that it’s more than just a light in the sky)
or
2. Bigfoot
I myself am torn. Let’s hear your answers in the comments below.
Soup-Eatin’ Dawg.
Just a quick update on the Casey-dawg situation: She seems to be pretty well on the mend as I type this (Sunday afternoon). She’s kept down all her food since Thursday afternoon — she’s still on the chicken noodle soup run through the blender, but as of today she was allowed to have some of her dry dog food mixed up in it, and she’s holding that down fine.
She’s still pretty fed up with being stuck inside all the time, but with any luck she’ll be able to get back to her normal routine within a couple of days. It’s a huge relief, that’s for sure.
In the midst of all this, writing has been slow going, but I started on part 7 of Pete, Drinker of Blood yesterday, so that’s something. I also think I cracked the bad guys in what’s gonna be my next novel.
I think all the Casey stress caught up with me pretty hard this weekend, though. Felt pretty lousy yesterday and feel lousier today — just generally wrung out, listless, and I’ve got a headache that won’t quit. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get back to my normal routine within a couple of days, too.