New Djiini Shots

Only from my best side, please........

I'm a Mommy!!

...again...

Below is the newest member of the family. Her SPCA name was "Melody", which is so lame I can't even say it out loud. So, until her new name reveals itself to me, I'm calling her "Doggie". I pick her up on August 22nd.

Update!! Meet Djiini (pronounced Genie).
Djinn is the original spelling for what we know today as Genies, and contrary to western culture, they're not the prototypical good helpers; historically, they have been documented as often tricksters or malevolent spirit beings. They have also been noted as being benevolent to 'true souls' in need of help. Not that I need any help....but when I saw her she reminded me of a dog that "found" a friend and I who wandered off-track in Morocco and walked with us all day until we reached the next town. There is an old proverb in the Sahara......that if one is of good will, and finds themselves lost in a desert, a genii will appear to them in the form of a dog to lead them to safety - hence my new dog's new name, with a modern twist on the traditional spelling: Djiini.

A little more about Doggie: She enjoys long walks, having her hair brushed, and bon-bons. She's part German Shepherd/part Whippet or Greyhound. She is about 4 years old, and knows how to sit, stay, lay down, and is ambidextrous in her handshaking ability. She's also knowledgeable about where to potty (e.g., outside). I asked the SPCA folks if she was cat-friendly, and was in for a shock. The girl I was talking to said she'd check - and then came back with 2 cats! Holy god. Epiphany - it all made sense. In January of 2006, when I went to adopt Kathman(du), no WONDER all the cats there seemed neurotic!!

But, the clinchers, for me, were the existence of a few oddities present in Doggie:

1. First, she has an oddly shaped head. As though the bones that fuse upon the top of the skull did so too rapidly. Doggie is, in fact, an egghead.
2. Second, she seems a little shy (but who wouldn't at the dog pound!), but also very loving. I don't think she has come from an abused home, because she was dropped off by someone who said he'd found her as a stray, but she had a collar, and she cried for that man after he left. This besides being trained, housebroken, and immaculately clean, considering her purported 'stray' status. Apparently, people often do this at the SPCA rather than pay a pet surrender fee that helps the pound's operating costs. One woman at the pound said that the majority of people who bring in animals that way often are bringing in their own pets, for whatever reason, and as a result, full histories don't come with them. For a dog that seemed shy and a bit sad, she showed no hesitation in being very loving to 'strangers'.
3. Next, I don't know what planet this dog came from, but she had no idea what to do with a tennis ball or a chew/pull toy. She barely paid attention to either of them during our "get acquainted" time, and then looked at me as though I were crazy. So she's got character. Or she doesn't like the smell of other dog-spit.
4. And finally, when I was squatted down and eye-to-eye with her, she would sidle up next to my right, lean up against me, and use my right leg as her left front paw-rest. Not in a doggie domination way, like trying to herd me, or in being possessive of me. This behavior didn't strike me, either, as though she were shy or afraid and required physical reassurance. Instead, it was more like, "Hey. How's it going? Cool. Let's do some doggie-watching!. Check her out. Poor pooch. Can you believe they made that Bitch wear a red collar?!?!"

Doggie seemed to be very interested in seeing what kind of adventures she and the two Experiment Kitties could get up to, but the Experiment Kitties were not having any part of it. Since she exhibited curiosity - not agression - I feel OK about introducing her to Kathman. I may end up needing to keep them separated initially and work on training and integrating them together as 'friends'. We'll have to see what kind of hilarity ensues next week.

In the meantime, I've got some Doggie-proofing to begin this weekend.......

As Promised...Wyoming Photo Update

Finally, here are some additional Wyoming photos. Some have stories, some don't....enjoy!

A little horseback riding does a body good....

While in Wyoming, I got to help (or at least observe and photograph) feeding some animals...

chinking some interior cabin walls (the top row!).....

Cabin interior....



Hyattville's Annual Old-Timer's Festival and Street Dance


Prairie Chickens

Some bunnies.....

Some bunnies are less shy than others.....this one seems not to have developed a healthy fear of humans yet. He came up to within two inches of Gary's boot, but moved a little too quickly for me to perfectly focus on him.

I Say, It's a Pig-Nic!!

So, one of my adventures over the weekend was an annual company picnic - I mean, PIG-nic - in Wyoming. This event and the antics surrounding it have achieved near mythic status within the company. It only occurs in Wyoming as a joint effort of the folks in that region, and probably has much more historical / company significance than I can even begin to relate here. It's also fairly common for annuitants to join in the celebration if they are in or near the area. One aspect of the tradition is that the pig-carvers don upside-down trash-bags as aprons to protect them from their work. I'm not much of a meat eater (as guessed by Shawn, second from left), but couldn't resist - it smelled delicious and tasted even better. Gary and I were able to go there together as employee and annuitant of the company, and it was great to see familiar faces from Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee (via Wyoming), as well as the Wyoming folks and a number of annuitants. Oh, and seeing the other folks that I see every day at work in Ohio was really fantastic, too! The most amazing aspect of this and numerous other events that took place surrounding the meetings the previous week was the sheer hospitality of the Wyoming hosts. I always thought people in Texas were friendly - but people in Wyoming, I have to say, have them beat, hands-down.

The PIGnic took place in National Forest in the Big Horn Mountains, so everything needed for it had to be brought in, and it was the Wyoming folks who did so - from the custom-made roaster on a trailer, to the drinks-and-ice trough, to the firewood for the all-night campfire from the previous night (and that night's fish-fry), to all of the varieties of side-dishes: sweet corn, pasta salad, bread, salads, baked beans, and other goodies too numerous to count. We're not talking Kroger ready-mades, either - these were all home-made delights. It was a treat, and a massive effort that the Wyoming gang undertakes each year to maintain the PIGnic tradition. Job well done!

What the....??

An unfortunate angle, perhaps, of a pig after having been removed from a rather large diameter spit.

Table of Friends

At this table, we've got Jerry (in yellow) and his wife Jackie, who I was able to meet during some previous project activity. We called Jerry and another annuitant, Wayne, out of retirement to join in on the project activities, and the two of them worked circles around many of us. Wayne wasn't able to make the Pig-nic, which was a shame, because it would have been a great Triple Threat reunion. Together, Jerry and Wayne (who have known eachother forever) were nicknamed on the project as "Double Trouble". I enjoyed them so much, when the three of us were together, others would call us "Triple Threat", and I felt like a 12-year old up to mischeif. It was this duo who bestowed the nickname of "Ramrod" upon me, which is no small feat in a male-oriented industry, during project activities, largely secured during field visits. I tried to spend a little time at each table - because each had new faces and names, as did this one, but this was definitely the most entertaining table at the event! They kept me in stitches (even still!).

Wildflowers at Meadowlark Lake, Bighorn Mountains, WY

...and from West Texas:

Mr. & Mrs. Marty Bootman. These are two of the nicest folks anyone could hope to meet. And in person, their eyes are blue-er than the clearest, most blue sky day you've ever seen.....

Turk, Linde, & Fancy (in that order....)

I initially planned a quick (1.5) day visit to Gary's place in WY after my work commitment, prior to a work-related picnic on Saturday, and then to do some camping and hiking afterward. In my time visiting Hyattville, though, I had such a good time, I was reluctant to leave - for one thing, I hadn't been able to visit with Gary other than a few emails and phone calls since around late 2004 - and for another thing, because we had not yet had time to go horseback riding. So, we ended up working a deal - I offered my completely inexperienced, tenderfoot labor / assistance services on a part-time-ish basis in exchange for a little more R&R time at the Hyattville hacienda. This seemed to work in well with "if you were going to be here tomorrow, we could take the horses out......" and flash! - plans were afoot. So, anticipating great adventure, this was my first meeting of the Horses that Would Eventually Be Ridden. yay! You can tell from this photo they're equally excited about the prospect of toting around a tenderfoot who doesn't know how loosely to hold the reins.

Medicine Lodge State Park, WY

Pictograph....
Petroglyph....
and recreation!!

On my first day in Hyattville, Gary showed me around town, introduced me to several neighbors, helped me explore the local cafes and the one bar, guided me around the ranch, took me fishing, and showed me around Medicine Lodge State Park. Besides the pictographs and petroglyphs, there is an outstanding fishing perch nestled on the side of Medicine Lodge Creek, with a detailed panelboard describing some of the various favorite nibbles for the fish. This was prior to our fishing effort, so I read through the panel indicating which types of nymphs are preferred by which fish - when I realized, at the bottom of the panel, that it was dedicated to Walt & Dorothy W. - Gary's parents! So, I was able to explore town with a bona-fide legacy heritage son in Gary, here pictured next to the observation deck / fishing platform / information panel.

Mmm....home-made cherry pie!!

Upon my arrival in Hyattville to visit Gary, I could smell this charmer in the background - a home-made cherry pie. Gary and his brother Dave labored incredibly hard, so I was told, to pick the cherries from the tree just on the main road (still heavily laden), then de-pit them, and baked up this delicacy that was doomed to a short life-span. Fantastico!

Streamside Paradise

While in Wyoming, one of my main objectives was to meet up with a friend from Houston, Gary, who seems busier in his retired life than I knew a body could be. Gary hails from Hyattville, a hamlet of about 100 fine folks in the NW / central part of the state, graced by beautiful Paint Rock creek. Behind his house are these turn-of-the-century log cabins, facing the creek, that he's spending some of that retirement time on by doing some interior updating and remodeling them into guest houses.

Mmm...muddy!

Now let's say you're a rental car company. Let's say you're in the incredibly picturesque state of Wyoming, where the men are Men and the women are equally tough, and the best driving is on roads yet to be (and hopefully never to be) paved. Let's say that your stock of vehicles is all-wheel-drive Subaru outback little station wagons, and that you charge a fee of $50 if they are returned "excessively dirty". Seeing here that I had about a quarter inch of clearance between the caked up clay on the tire and the wheel well (that I had to create using a stick), and that I had to use the 4 wheel drive function in first gear to get out of not one, but three mud-sticles, I'm worried that I might see that $50 fee crop up on my bill. Of course the nice folks at the rental car company don't start their day before my flight leaves, so I'll have to wait and see when that hits my credit card account....because I'm sure not going to call them up and ask, "hey, that little grey car, with the bottom third covered in red? was it returned clean enough for you?" Any takers on the chance that I won't be seeing that convenient little charge? (Of course they're going to nail everyone with that charge who does anything more than drive from an airport to a KFC in their rental car when it rains in Wyoming in July, multiple times - that's like a miracle event!!). Just in case, I've got a few pre-emtpive names in my back pocket on standby.

Rainy Horizon

Wyoming BLM back road, between storms, muddied up with mud/clay/bentonite.