In a Pinch

It's not too often that another driver will send me into "road rage", but in this case, it was all I could do not to cause physical harm (flatten tires). The blue van is ours, and when I returned to it after work, the red pick up was up to my bumper leaving me no room to get out. Also notice that this person parked next to a fire hydrant, and only a few feet from a stop sign.

So what does a reasonable person do?

I took several deep breaths, calmed down, then called the police. When the officer arrived, he seemed very understanding. And once we extracted my car (he was my witness and guide), he promised to "ticket the hell out of this guy." A little victory for the "little guy" out there. But I still think I should have flattened his tires. And so it goes...

Red, White and Blue

Here we see Tim Johnston (Award winning Author of "Irish Girl", and "Never So Green") with BD and BD just prior to the fireworks display that would end the Iowa City Jazz Fest. Here is a picture of the main stage for Jazz Fest. The other side of the Old Capitol looks down on the Iowa River "valley", and it was from there the fireworks were launched. It was quite spectacular, and the closest Big Dawg has been to a firework display.

So far, Chalupa has attended camp, and Beaner has ventured to San Francisco and back (Leadership Program). Later this week, Big Dawg heads off to Wapsi Y camp for a few days, then in a few weeks, Beaner and Peanut will head to Pittsburgh for a Youth Group project. Meanwhile Laura and I try to hold down the fort and keep the lights on. It's bene a busy and chaotic summer to be sure.

The biscuit business continues to grow and we've since picked up clients in Michigan, Oregon and the Mall of America! The next step is to to get Mamacita (formerly known as Sidetrack) on the payroll and get a jump on baking inventory for the holidays.... and so it goes....

Editor's Apology

As most of you can imagine, summer has fallen upon us like a swarm of locusts. So updates to this blog are long overdue and delayed. You have my apologies. A more formal post will be forthcoming with updates on Camps, Soccer, Woofables, Work and ... life. Until then, hope you are all having a great summer and thanks for stopping by. And so it goes....

Same Time Next Year

Every Year the Pediatric Department at the University of Iowa has a end-of-the-year reception for the Residents (PL1 - PL-3). During this reception, annual awards are presented. The residents vote on the James C. Taylor Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award, named for my father.

This year E (right) a.k.a. Mouse dragged my youngest sister J (left) a.k.a. Yo-Yo up from the Carolina's. Our schedules have been such that his was the first time in eight years the three of us have gotten together. It's also the first time Yo-Yo met her youngest nephew, Big Dawg.

It was all very fun and great to see my siblings. It's been too long since we've been together and one can only hope the time between our next visit won't be quite so vast.

And so it goes...

Lots of Birthdays this month. Beaner (above) turned 17 on the 9th, and JA Mandy (baking below with HRB and Owen) held steady at 29 on the 6th. As a result of these and Chalulpa's end-of-May birthday, we've had our fill of annual celebrations. Of course we could give a nod to Birthday boy Crazy Pete (7th), but that might diminish the quality of this digital "Rag".
It's been all hands on deck at Woofables these days. We've had reasonably good online traffic that continues to increase as each month passes, but it's the wholesale accounts that seem to keep the oven full and biscuits baking. Meanwhile we're developing a certificate to recognize those select individuals who have successfully baked a batch of dog treats. They will be certifiable (ahem) as BONE-afide apprentice dog biscuit bakers! It's all fun to be sure.

Speaking of FUN, our dear family friend, CRaZy Pete, completed his 20th Pig Man Triathlon (finished 3rd in his ancient group), and was so recognized as the ONLY person to have competed in all 20 events. Salute. His Goddaughter, Peanut and el Pero, Max (pictured above) smile with joy at this news.

On the work front, BD makes many trips to DM, and is a finalist for the Directorship of the EMBA Program (vacated by the retirement of his boss). The University (State) hiring process is bureaucratic to be sure, but in the end... they'll get what they believe to be the best person for the job. Fingers are crossed. Meanwhile, Sidetrack consults and bakes, and keeps a vigilant watch on all things domestic. Both Buzz Daddy and Sidetrack have the summer off from teaching which is a welcome reprieve from those obligations.

Next up, summer camps and the arrival of Mouse from NC. And so it goes...

Teenage Crisis

This is a clear case of teenage overload. Chalupa (far right, black shirt, good posture) decided to invite a herd of delinquents over for smores (sugar), punch (more sugar) and ice cream cake (even more sugar). All of this in celebration of her 14th birthday. So for a brief period of time we have 14, 15 and 16 year old teenage mutant girls. Ugh.

Meanwhile Sidetrack and Big Dawg were playing in the backyard, keeping a safe distance from the herd. Although, as Big Dawg would tell you... when nature calls, it's time to charge the herd and make a run for the "head".

All's well that ends well. The house is still standing. Big Dawg is relieved and we will reload for the next adventure... the arrival of HRB and his brother Owen. And so it goes....

Not much more I can say about this, huh?

Sigh. And so it goes....

Osama bin Pero

Yep... toilet paper. This is just the initial trail that leads all the way up the stairs and into the master bedroom. So far he has chewed through (killed) 3 or 4 plants (I lost count). Several pairs of sandals/flip flops, two wicker chairs, two throw rugs, an extension cord, some stuffed animals, and a library book. These are just a few of the items the darn pooch has consumed.

So why did we rescue him? As Addy will say "te adoribale". But then she'll say we should send him to prison. When Max is sweet... he is very, very sweet. When he is nightmare, he's Osama bin Pero. And so it goes...

So the more things wind down...

The crazier things get. Last night, Big Dawg had baseball, Ellie had a tennis match for West High, and Peanut's West High Soccer team had a match. Chalupa had the night off. Today it's more the same.

Big Dawg and Chalupa have soccer, Sidetrack covers the shop, Beaner will help take Big Dawg to and from soccer, then she'll go to a local park to cover a booth for Woofables at a dog "show". Meanwhile Peanut will be baking biscuits. Buzz has final classes with the EMBA students, then the end-of-the year golf outing followed by the banquet.

Just as this year's EMBA class graduates, the Des Moines EMBA class kicks off.

Meanwhile, the river (above) is full, but not near over-flowing unlike those along the Mississippi to our South. We have had our share of water, and our lawn is tuning into a jungle. We have become proud of our growing crop of dandelions, much to our neighbor's chagrin. We're not sure when well get to mow the lawn... and the garden still needs to be planted, and porch still needs to be re-screened.

Next week we have Prom, and related activities and then all the graduations activities are beginning to crank up. May and June are nutty months. Oh for the dog days of summer when we can relax and catch our collective breaths. And so it goes...

Easter Plus 50

Easter Weekend had us in the Twin Cities for Uncle Brinz's 50th Birthday. Here's the Birthday boy trudging across the street. The weekend began with a bowling palooza which is always fun when no one really cares about their scores. Big Dawg learned to bowl without bumpers and scored his first line (84).

The following evening we had dinner at Sidetrack's sister's (Grethen) house. All the cousins were there except Sean who remained in NC with his family. Below we see (from left) Big Dawg, Matt, Chalupa, Brinz and Peanut. This was moments before the couch erupted into a small revolution. No surprise with the barrel of monkeys sitting on it.

Sidetrack's mom is doing as well as can be expected, despite the onset of Alzheimer's Decease. It was good to see Bro-Joe, Delma, Patrice, Harlin, Ursula, Elika, Gretchen and Jay. We also met the Beck's foreign exchange student Rizza, who cooked a magnificent Indonesian meal.

We returned in time to open the shop on Sunday... only a few biscuit buyers stopped in, but it was nice to see their owners. Now that the Easter weekend has passed, we've all returned to work, and school and/or both. And so it goes. . .

Koko Taylor, June 1995 - April 2011

Koko joined Raisa earlier today to terrorize the great dog house in the Sky. She was almost 16 years old and lived a full, and mostly happy life... except for that porcupine incident.

She was an anniversary gift for Sidetrack back in 1995. Beaner was one year old and we were expecting Peanut six months later. Chalupa, Peanut, Big Dog, Truman and Tootsie have never known life without Koko being a part of it.

Koko was a very sweet girl who endeared herself to many people including J.A. Mandy, and a host of neighbors (Mentings, Reeves, Chadimas, and Larsons). Her travels took her to Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and back to Iowa, where she calls home. Along the way she spent a few nights in the woods, loved to swim and had the occasional run-in with local "authorities".

But at the end of the day, she was always home with us. We will remember her fondly, and miss her dearly. RIP Koko. And so it goes....