Scarlet

Scarlet has been a member of our family for seven years. Like most Labs, she was full of energy. She never passed up an opportunity to join her dog buddies for a swim at the dog park, ride in the car with her face out the window against the wind, or for a game of fetch-the-ball, or stick, or duck. She loved her stuffed duck. She liked to hear it "quack," and then rip it to shreds, but I think she derived more pleasure from Randy pretending she was actually a trained hunting dog who would retrieve ducks on command, but she was really just tricking him into getting a game of fetch going. Scarlet was always a very protective, loving dog who was instant friends with anybody who would scratch her ears or rub her belly. Her energy will live on as she frolicks in pet heaven with Molly, who greeted her with a tennis ball, Buddy, who chased around the pearly gates in excitement, and Tuffy, who greeted her with a love-swat across the nose and then curled up beside her. She was a good dog. She had a big smile and an even bigger heart that can never be forgotten.

Secret's Out

Many of you out there have wondered and asked why we have made several camping trips to Idaho this year. Well, they really were camping trips, but only because we were looking for something a little more interesting to camp in. We found this cabin several weeks ago and as of today we own the place. Obviously there is yet some work to be done as we embark on the next step: furnishings. So we came up with an "acquisition list" prioritized in High to Low order. Some of the higher priorities on the list include the obvious:

• Living room furniture


• Dining room furniture


• Beds and bedding


• Kitchenware


• Bathroom supplies

Mr. G has been very good about reminding me what constitutes a "high" priority on the acquisition list in an effort to avert any premature frivolousness. So last weekend our first two purchases were made for the cabin: a BBQ grill and a fire pit ring. As you can see, we have our priorities straight.

I am a Nerd, really.

I just took a Nerd Quiz at nerdquiz.com. My score summary:
79% scored higher (more nerdy), 2% scored the same, and 19% scored lower (less nerdy).
What does this mean? My nerdiness is: not nerdy, but then again maybe not all that cool either.

Lumberjacks and a Perfect Smore

We recently went camping in Idaho. Last time we were camping in Idaho, there were fire restrictions, even in the campgrounds. This was very discouraging for Mr. G because, you know, how can a guy go camping and not use his axe and saw to obtain firewood? And buying a bundle of firewood wrapped in cellophane from the local country store is just not acceptable. Lucky for us this campground allowed campfires. So Mr. G got right to chopping up some firewood. I was the lumberjack helper; I had the privilege of stabilizing the tree while my lumberjack hacked and chopped. I was never concerned about losing an arm to a mis-swing of the axe, but I did, at several points, fear getting my eye poked out by flying wood debris. This guy takes his axe hacking skills very seriously!

Thanks to my own private lumberjack, we had a pile of wood sufficient to warm an entire Who-ville community.

And what would camping be without Smores? Every time I go camping I think of Smores as a must-have dessert. Making Smores seems pretty basic, doesn't it? - roast a marshmallow; sandwich the mallow with a piece of chocolate between two halves of a graham cracker; smashed together, the heat of your marshmallow will melt the chocolate giving you a perfectly gooey and delicious Smore. Well, I think Martha Stewart, who only creates recipes that are impossible for the average person to cook, invented the Smore because they are just that, impossible. Usually one runs into several obstacles when trying to make this treat. Sometimes it is difficult to find a graham cracker that has not been totally crushed. Or, your marshmallow catches fire in the coals or melts right off your roasting stick and actually falls into the fire. And come on, does the chocolate ever really melt? In most cases, you will find yourself in one of these predicaments, but one doesn't usually complain - you just take in stride and think to yourself, "Sheesh, this is sure a lot of work for the mediocre end result." Well guess what, I experienced a Christmas miracle on this camping trip. I actually made the perfect Smore. I will admit, it only took about three tries and various creative cooking methods to get it just right (yes, I still ate the failed attempts), but I was determined and I did it. Smores really are the best camping treat.