He was ready to go as usual today and well this week will be the test on whether or not three days a week is too much for the old Potato. We would like to see him get out more but he’s almost 13 and that’s a very long tooth for a Cairn.
The Potato also has been resting on not only his camo bed but also a thick memory foam cushion beneath to perhaps ease up on some of his joint pressure. The bed in my room and the living room have both been enhanced and now it’s like he’s got this throne thing going. He easily gets up into it and crashes. Right now he looks very comfortable and is snoring away. The extra height does not curtail his cavorting so that’s good.
His Auntie Jessica is looking forward to spending another hour with the pupper. She does so love him.
From his Aunt Jessica:
It’s a hot day today. Gus was barking a bit the first half of the walk. Towards the end I think he was too tired to bark. He did very good and had a lot of fun!
Today was apparently the best day ever because Gus the Blond Potato was out the door and living large as soon as his feet hit the sidewalk. It was a power walk day where he ran his Auntie ragged with how fast of a pace he set up. It’s hard to remember to pull him back and temper his borking trot but he’s an old man. He’ll be feeling that near-run pace he loves in a few hours after he comes home.
And of course he went head down into the water, cavorted and then got scritches from his Aunt Jessica as soon as he came home. He’s been in a cavorting kind of mood. Right now, his eyes have been cleaned, he’s gotten his allergy treats and he’s stalking his dinner… a fine mix of grain-free, high-protein kibble topped with a beef stew.
And later, there will be a sweet potato snack. And much snoring.
From his Auntie Jessica:
Gus did a lot of borking today! So many people out! I’m sure he will be very tired today. See him soon!
So the new year is upon us. We’ve left the Rat behind and welcome the Ox. Lots of things happened last year and not many of them good but with the coming of the new Lunar Year, it is time to shed the past demons and go forth.
It’s kinda odd having a Lunar New Year without fireworks but… I live in SoCal and well, wildfires are a thing.
We’ve taken to going outside with Badger… while he’s on a lead. Nothing like walking the cat around in the backyard. The pandemic lockdown is getting to all of us. To be fair, I’ve also painted the back of my front door orange so what does that say about me?
I mean the most exciting thing I have going is a new roomba that I finally figured out how to make work the right pattern. It’s a very tricky thing.
But that’s an update for a bit. Trying to recapture my writing brain and bring in something fun and good. I think we’re all in need of just breathing in fresh air and most of all, being kind to ourselves. Make sure you do something nice for yourself. And I don’t mean buying a new spool of dental floss. Something actually nice 😀
The Potato was very happy this morning to see his Auntie Jessica. Yesterday he had a long car trip and then came home to naps and snuggles. This morning, he was kitted out and all ready to go.
He’s actually doing well for an old Pupper. That’s one thing I have to watch out for because the Gus Gus will be 13 in April and that’s a long time for a cairn. He’s definitely a solid little pupper and getting him to do anything with a toy never goes far so his exercise pretty much is walking around and wrestling. He is more than happy to go with you in and out of the house. That never gets old in the Potato’s world. But I do have to get some kind of step / ramp thing for the back door since it’s a bit of a drop and the hop up can sometimes be a strain. Usually when it’s cold.
But today is warm and he came into the house with a lot of grassy bits on him… because someone obviously mowed the lawn and he found it. Nothing like wet grass and cavorting for this dog. He’s a silly thing.
He has a mobile groomer coming on Thursday and hopefully he’ll behave for them. We’ll see. He apparently decided to poop again today on his walk. The world is getting crazy out there. He’s very relaxed now. But still, borking at the lawn guys because that’s what a Potato does.
From his Auntie Jessica: Gus did a lot of rolling around in the grass today. He looked so happy! He had a lot to say to all the neighbors too! Best, Jessica
It’s rainy and cold out today but there was a brief spat of sunshine that coincided with the Potato’s borking trot today. He was geared up and well…while I wanted the Blond Potato to go out because he really needed a good Bork, I should get him a black harness if I’m going to dress him because the orange one clashes with his blue fleece coat or I could get a coat that’s more colour appropriate to the harness. He looked like a mad Portuguese auntie dressed him.
He came home happy and panting and then after a brief snorkel in the water dish… and I do mean snorkel because he goes ears deep into the water, he came for scritches and love to both me and Auntie Jessica. He then said goodbye to her after she tested out the new living room chair to make sure it was more comfortable than the other one (it’ll need a bit of breaking in). Following his farewells, he began his post-walk cavort in his bed (video included) and now is snoring off in pupper-land for a well-deserved nap.
It’s really hard being a Potato. His life is just one whirlwind of activity after even followed by napping.
And then snackies. And belly rubs.
From his Aunt Jessica:
It was nice and cool out for Gus this morning. He had so much fun rolling around in the grass! He was pretty calm too since there weren’t many people out!
Best, Jessica
Right now I’m having a very late dinner of a faux shark cooterie board of butter crackers, salami, pepperoni, cheddar, colby jack, and bread and butter pickles. The pickles in question are Mt. Olive and come in a bag. The first time I encountered them was in the South at a highway stop and well, love at first bite. So… they’re a part of dinner tonight.
I don’t like pickles on sandwiches. Or relishes in my chicken / tuna / egg salad. Or any kind of salad actually. I do like relish on hot dogs. MMMMmmmmm Chicago dogs. But I do love a good pickle. But not chutney. Chutney and I have never truly made friends.
Now of course, kimchi counts as pickles so that’s a thing. But really pickled plums, pickled eggs, pickled pigs feet… all are okay. Dunno why. Must be the Portuguese influence. Lots of vinegar there. Or maybe the Japanese. Either way, pickled anything is good.
It’s going to storm like crazy tomorrow and we already had to postpone the Monday Borking Report because of high winds and rain. Hopefully it won’t be that way tomorrow because the Potato probably would like to go on at least one hard trot for this week. Even though he’s had a LOT of exercise going in and out of the house.
As well as borking at the lawn guys who came by Tuesday.
The house purge continues as I rearrange life. It’s an interesting exercise in figuring out what should be in my life and really how I fit into it. We’ll see what comes out on the other side.
The cats are adjusting to the upheaval well. Okay, to be fair, they really don’t give a shit because there’s food, sunbeams, and places to snooze. What more can they ask for? Oh… Badger needs to be walked a bit every day but you know, he’s weird.
If you want to try one of my favourite dishes, here’s the Foodland guy teaching how to cook pancit. Which is…. love love pancit. And with pata, dear God, it’s good. Easy to cook and the ingredients are pretty easy to get.
Oh… and I guess I actually better eat my dinner. Hope you all are doing okay. I’ll be rolling something out in a bit and I’m excited to bring that to you. Right now, I’m poking at the edges and working out a small social issue in the text that I’ve got to land right or it’ll come off…. meh. But that’s something I just want to get right.
Tell me what easily made dishes that you love… and even better, share with me a link to a recipe or video of it being made. I’m always up for a good new dish!
Xian and Spencer are now in audiobook format with the spectacularly talented Greg Tremblay bringing them to life as only a master narrator can. I am so very excited to bring you the first installment of the Chinatown Demons series and am so looking forward to sharing with you the continuing adventures of Xian Carter and Spencer Ricci as they come up against some of San Francisco’s most wicked murderers.
Bound
Chinatown, San Francisco.
A different place — another time— and where the city’s streets keep secrets, shadowy mysteries SFPD Inspector Spencer Ricci needs to dig through after he finds himself on a case involving a dismembered, mummified man in a restaurant’s locked storage room.
Spencer drags around a lot of baggage, including an ongoing battle with the bottle and a long career as an LAPD detective he’d set fire to in a blaze of booze-soaked mistakes. San Francisco is supposed to be a new start but his old ghosts haunt him, beckoning him back into his self-destructive bad habits. Bad habits that include contemplating doing dirty things with the wrong kind of guy and this time, it’s a sleek, cold-tempered medical examiner named Xian Carter with a complicated reputation.
For a century-old demon, Xian Carter is content with his secretive life. Hiding his nature from the mundane world, he blends in with the city’s inhabitants as best he can but even the best of predators make mistakes. Delving into the mysteries of the dead provide a welcome distraction from endless nights and hiding in plain sight amuses him, until something supernaturally wicked comes knocking on his door with an extremely hot, broody Inspector close behind.
Murder makes for strange bedfellows and this one is no exception. The twists and turns of the case leaves Xian and Spencer on a wild goose chase after clues but Xian can only hope there’s a human at the end of the trail—because the last thing San Francisco needs is another predator.
The Potato has been sharing the back yard with the Badger but the bi-weekly walks are solely for the Blond Borker. He is excited about the new harness or at least appears to be when I pull it out. So there’s that.
To be fair, Badger has learned where HIS harness is and goes over to show us where it is in case we’ve forgotten. Usually right after we’ve come in from the back yard after taking him out. El Gato spend a good portion of his time outside digging in a dirt patch and rolling in it. He was filthy. Probably still is. I’m going to have to use a swiffer to get him clean. Dusting the cat is a real thing apparently.
The Borker was so happy to see his Auntie Jessica and he left the house borking away. Probably telling her that he has to now share the back yard with the Asshole Badger but he’s free off a leash while the cat is not. So there’s a bit of smugness there.
From his Aunt Jessica:
Gus had fun today! Not too many people out so we walked a little further. It was actually pretty hot out this morning so I hope he’s getting plenty of water!
It has been a bit of a struggle getting back into the writing brain. These past couple of years have been rough and well, so much tragedy in my life. But the thing is, sit down and hit the keyboard really is a thing.
I am kind of purging things out of my life and also in a way, shedding a bit of emotional weight burdening me. I am hoping that in the coming days, I can submerge myself into the ether that I write in. I miss being able to do that. But I can feel it rising back up and I am hopeful it will soon become a sanctuary once again.
There is also too much mustard on my hot dogs right now. Dijon mustard. It’s a good mustard but I think my brain is searching for the spicy brown. Should have drizzled chili crisps on them.
I also am looking forward to being able to fall back into whimsy. I miss it.
The Potato will be continuing his Borking Strolls and I hope to publish his Borking Reports. Right now he’s begging for either a hot dog or a doggie treat but that’s his life. Treats, Borking Strolls, Scritches, and Naps. Oh and dinners.
And I actually want to leave a video from a channel I follow called Tribal People Try. Normally they sample foods, usually Western / American, and it’s an interesting look at how people view one another’s tastes. In this particular video, it’s 2 pairs of the men on the channel playing a game. It’s lovely to see them smile, laugh and simply have a bit of silly fun. I think we sometimes forget silly fun is probably the best kind of fun to have. I think I’ll need to find a time and place to do this for a bunch of people.
