Gentlemen--Beware of the Doghouse

My friend Les sent me a wonderful link to a cautionary tale for men wishing to please the woman in their lives during the holidays.

I know from personal experience that this truly happens. Men DO give their beloved household cleaning devices as "gifts." Last Christmas, Ondigo gave me a Roomba. His plaintive cry of "But Sweetie! It's a ROBOT vacuum cleaner!" did not spare him. The silver braided necklace he gave me *next* is what kept him out of the doghouse.

And, while I must admit the Roomba is strangely hypnotic as it wends its way around the room sucking up bits of detritus, it is still NOT an acceptable holiday gift. EVER.

Puppy!

We got to go visit with our new puppy this evening. Bridget at Faith Ridge Border Collies was very kind and gracious about letting us come late on Sunday and I'm sure we overstayed our welcome, (we were there 2 hours) but it was very hard to tear ourselves away from the little man. We played with Cody and his brother Chip and his sister Margo. Chip and Margo are still available and it is taking everything I have not to take them home with me. :) The puppy's litter name is Cody, but we haven't decided what his *real* name will be. In the running are Joss, Cai, Kip, Pip, Mick, and Nick. Which one do you like? I'm sure the little guy will tell us which one it is shortly after he moves in with us.

Which should be Tuesday December 23. Ondigo and I are only working half days on the 23 and we both have the 24-26th off, so we're looking forward to some bonding time!

I apologize for the red eyes. He really isn't a demon dog, but I don't have a decent photo editor on this 'puter, so I can't fix it right now.

Ondigo had a dream...

As most of you know, it's been several years since we lost the Blessed St. Davey and Miss Nell. Ondigo and I had thought that we would not get another dog until we had retired and it could go with us wherever we went.

Well... Ondigo had a dream last month. He dreamed of petting a dog. And when he awoke, he could still smell the dog. The dream stuck with him. And it churned in his mind, so that he began to look at border collie rescue websites, and the dogs therein spoke to his heart. But adopting a border collie through a rescue organization is much like purchasing a house, but with more stress and a longer wait time.

And lo it came to pass that Annabelle was looking in the classified section of the newspaper and saw an advertisement for border collies. And the advertisement listed a webpage! And the webpage had photos of dogs! Black and White Border Collies! Red and White Border Collies! Blue Merle Border Collies! Red Merle Border Collies! Blonde (Yes BLONDE) Border Collies! And Puppies! Pretty Pretty Puppies!

So into the car we hopped and trecked out into the wilds of Culpepper, Virginia. Wendy fell in love with Ace. Annabelle fell in love with Margo. But Ondigo fell in love with Cody. While Annabelle tried to talk Ondigo into getting two puppies, we settled on sweet Mr. Cody.

So...with out further ado... meet the newest member of our family. These pictures are a little old, but hopefully I can get some better pictures later. The puppies are still too young to leave their mother, but Cody (Ondigo has not yet chosen his permanent name--do you have any ideas?) will be coming to live with us shortly after Christmas.

Meme time!

Gakked from drharper who
Gakked from dreagoddess

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

In time the hosts of the Vanyar and the Noldor came to the last western shores of the Hither Lands.

In the north these shores, in the ancient days after the Battle of the Powers, bent ever westward, until in the northernmost parts of Arda only a narrow sea divided Aman, upon which Valinor was built, from the Hither Lands; but this narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, because of the the violence of the frosts of Melkor.

Therefore Orome did not lead the hosts of the Eldalie into the far north, but brought them to the fair lands about the River Sirion, that afterwards were name Beleriand; and from those shores whence first the Eldar looked in fear and wonder on the Sea there stretched an ocean, wide and dark and deep, between them and the Mountains of Aman.

Now Ulmo, by the counsel of the Valar, came to the shores of Middle-earth and spoke with the Eldar who waited there, gazing on the dark waves; and because of his words and the music which he made for them on his horns of shell their fear of the sea was turned rather to desire.

Therefore Ulmo uprooted an island which long had stood alone amid the sea, far from either shore, since the tumults of the fall of Illuin; and with the aid of his servants he moved it, as it were a mighty ship, and anchored it in the Bay of Balar, into which Sirion poured his water.

Then the Vanyar and the Noldor embarked upon that isle, and were drawn over the sea, and came at last to the long shores beneath the Mountains of Aman; and they entered Valinor and were welcomed to its bliss.

But the eastern horn of the island, which was deep-grounded in the shoals off the mouths of Sirion, was broken asunder and remained behind; and that it is said, was the Isle of Balar, to which afterwards Osse often came.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

OMG-- there's a reason i've never been able to plow through this book. We had pulled it out as reference for some questions engendered by our post-Thanksgiving Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy Marathon. Did the above make any sense to *you*?