A thousand words
Today we had
Snow, that is, not a new, well-kept backyard. Sadly.
So I had to put
Obviously Shelley mistook her paw wax for a snack at some point, which admittedly is better than mistaking, say, a chair for a snack. Which is not unknown among her canine brethren.
on these.
Forming an “invisible boot,” you see.
Like most grooming or canine-improvement strategies of mine, this one was met with barely disguised impatience and disdain from the dog herself.
Keep it up, and one day I will eat a chair. Your favorite chair.
But it was good knitting weather.
Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation grant proposal “process” is kicking my butt from here to Novosibirsk. But stay tuned! I’ll give you the full report on life, grant applications, and what it’s like to have your arse relentlessly kicked…that is, when this infernal process is over.
Wasn’t it Richard Russo who so eloquently remarked that getting a Ph.D. and surviving the tenure process was like, “being the winner of a shit-eating contest”? Something to ponder, something to ponder…
January 23rd, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Does the paw wax really keep Shelley’s little paw-paws dry? I was thinking that Hugo needed some just the other day.
We got that snow a few days ago, and it is hanging around, getting all slushy and refreezing every night.
Good times.
January 24th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Well, I may have to run after saying this…but there is the traditional common meaning for Ph.D., after all, so Russo could be completely correct. [g] Meanwhile, Time is looking even more luscious, and I’m getting a *major* yen for red. Fortunately, I have some red dyes and some KnitPicks Bare superwash sock yarn. I’m hoping for colorway inspiration to strike.
(Btw, snow here in the other Portland is all gone. Temporarily into 40’s and 50’s during the day. I’d send you some extra degrees if I could; the switch is a bit too fast for me. But the hilarious part? When we had the 20’s last week, we were colder than the Portland on *your* coast! Ironic, or what? Just think, if it weren’t for the flip of a coin, we could’ve been ‘Boston’…)
January 24th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Sarah, the quick answer is yes. Great stuff. Repels all the ice, snow, and salt so that we can trot merrily along (as opposed to stopping every two blocks for me to manually de-ice her paws, each of which she lifts up miserably, refusing to take another step until SOMETHING IS DONE–I am completely sympathetic with her about this, of course, which I why I bought the “Musher’s Secret).
Not expensive from J and B Pet (check their website), and one tin lasts for several years (if you aren’t actually running the Iditarod with dog teams).
January 24th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Getting a PhD causes permanent brain damage. This is compounded by the tenure process. Making grant applications causes further impairment. This is the only explanation I can come up with for the way most faculty behave. Personally, I bailed a year after my master’s–liked history, didn’t much care for historians–so my own brain was not too badly scrambled….at least that’s what I tell myself. You have my sympathy.
Can’t imagine the polarbears sitting still for the paw stuff. At least our country dogs don’t have to deal with salt. We have, however, been known to plow a potty spot for our finicky girl.