Burford Designs

No Love for Paris This Time Around, I’d Rather be in Austin

Have you ever seen something and had a very strong reaction to it, but didn’t know why?  I had that happen the other day.  A preview for an upcoming movie aired during a commercial break and I had such a negative reaction that my face snarled up in disgust and I let out a rather loud “UGH”.  I realized that it was one movie I that knew I would not be seeing any time soon (or really any time for that matter) and it is the new John Travolta/ Jonathan Rhys Meyers film From Paris with Love. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, I like both John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and I enjoy Luc Besson’s films like The Transporter movies.  Action movies are a favorite, as are spy thrillers, so the premise to this movie (a play off of the James Bond motion picture From Russia with Love) seemed like a winner (and I like movie poster).  But something was still bothering me.

 

As I wrote above, at first I didn’t know what caused my reaction, I thought that maybe it was just the fact that I hadn’t been enjoying John Travolta films as of late.  The last movie I saw, The Talking of, oops I mean The Taking of Pelham 123 was lacking and John’s character Ryder seemed to continually yell for no reason.  And then I saw the preview for From Paris with Love and he’s yelling again.  I would chalk this up to overacting, but then I realized there are people out there like that, that are just angry people and I grew up with just such a person.  The real reason I don’t want to see this movie is because John’s character Charlie Wax (who seems very similar to his character Ryder) is a lot like my older brother, they even kind of look alike.  And that’s why I won’t be seeing this film.

 

Nevertheless, on a more pleasant note, one movie that I am really looking forward to seeing is the HBO original film Temple Grandin (airing February 6, 2010).  This biopic is based on the life of Dr. Temple Grandin an author, speaker and livestock behaviorist who became very successful in her field, not necessarily despite her autism but a great deal because of it.  This film will cover her life during the 60’s and 70’s and stars Claire Danes as Temple Grandin with a supporting cast that includes such notable actors as Julia Ormond, Catherine O’Hara, and David Strathairn.  I just watched the preview on HBO and am very excited; I really like how the equations pop up on the screen to help us “see” what’s going on in her mind (very Numb3rs). 

 

With films such as these I’m always concerned with the actor’s portrayal of a real life person and especially when it is someone with a disability, I fear that the depiction will tend to be over the top so I was happy to read that when Dr. Grandin’s assistant went to the set to watch some of the filming and he reported back to Dr. Grandin that Dane’s portrayal was "so convincing, it sent shivers down my spine."  You can check out a couple of teaser previews from HBO here.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me without a little more research so I found this biography I thought I’d share and here’s an excerpt from an interesting article/ interview with Dr. Grandin from Beef Magazine.

 

“Some fictionalization occurs in the script, she adds, owing to the fact that two decades had to be condensed into a two-hour movie. Thus, at least one character depicted in the movie is a composite.

 

Throughout the process, however, she has insisted that “the cattle have to be right. I don’t want Holstein calves or a situation like in the movie ‘City Slickers’ where the cattle weren’t right.” She says the producers even bought a parcel of Angus calves for the production in order to ensure authenticity.”

 

No matter what you choose to see, here’s to happy viewing!

Santa Baby

Chewie (the Pomeranian pup) has gotten really good at playing photo shoot.  He now knows that if I get the camera out then he will get a treat for sitting there and allowing me to put him through dress up and sitting still while I snap shots.  Until the other night, I wasn’t able to get pictures of Bella and Chewie together.  I got them to sit on the stairs together and at first they were side by side but Chewie had to move down a step (he really tried to take off but I got him to sit on the lower step and allow me to take some photos of the two of them).

After a few pictures I gave them each a treat and they were good to go.  With our first successful shoot under our belts (well, my belt) I got Chewie to sit on a stool under the Christmas tree with a  Santa hat on his adorable little head… he was even okay with that since he knew he would get a treat.  Then I tried to get Bella to sit under the tree, I called her over and told her “up” and as soon as she jumped up on the stool Chewie ran over and knocked her off and sat down posing for another pictures.  I was almost in tears laughing.  I moved him off of the bench and got Bella up there once more and yet again Chewie bumped her off the stool.

 

Mommy had this little Santa hats and I was able to get a few really good shots of both pups.

 

I also learned that both dogs were a lot better with the hats when I began with the hat over their eyes then moved it higher up on their heads. 

 

This picture was my favorite because Chewie looks like a statue.

 

So cute…

A Dog Called Bella

A few weeks ago, while driving home from work, I was following this truck with a driver who clearly did not know his way along the highway.  I have gotten used to driving behind such drivers and have learned to adjust my speed and keep even more of a cushion between us.  I had such a cushion that afternoon and as I was less then a mile from my house it was a needed cushion indeed.  The truck and I had just rounded the bend and was on the one real straightaway before my driveway when all of a sudden the truck quickly jerked to the right of the road onto the shoulder then quickly corrected and sped off.  I knew that wasn’t a good sign so I slowed way down and noticed something small and dark running down the middle of the highway.  Hurriedly, I hit my hazard lights on, pulled the car over and stopped to see that it was a little dog.  Making kissing sounds and calling “come here puppy” the tiny creature ran to my car and jumped inside and crawled onto the sit next to me.

 

There aren’t any houses on this stretch of highway and the sun was fading fast so after checking for a collar and seeing that there wasn’t one to be found I drove home.  Leaving my bags and coat in the car, I picked up the dog and entered the house stating that I couldn’t help it and now they (my parents) needed to take care of it.  After bringing in my things from the car I held the dog and determined that it was a girl, that she wasn’t a puppy (missing teeth) and that she stank to high heaven.  She was really thin, cold and visibly shaken.  Daddy held her and while doing so found then removed a tick while Mommy got the sink ready to bathe her.  In a matter of minutes she was cleaned, fed and loved.

 

We called the local animal rescue to inquire if someone had been looking for a missing dog (she looked like she had been gone for at least a few days if not longer), left our contact information, and proceeded to call other outlets (vets, local paper, etc).  So far, no one has contacted us and we have not been able to find out where she originated so it looks like, at least for the foreseeable future, there is a new addition to our house.

 

Bella is a welcome addition too.  She likes to cuddle and be held and since she’s a mini schnauzer she’s as hypoallergenic as a dog can get, of course Chewie loves his new girlfriend.

It was meant for me to find her and save her that night since the temperature dropped below freezing and we got about five inches of snow.  Now Bella sleeps in the bed with Spanky and Chewie and has filled out quite a bit.  We’ll see what happens.

Pet Hijinks

My pets are very entertaining whether they mean to be or not.  Since we got Chewie as a puppy I have always played with him like he would have played with other dogs.  We chased each other and since he was so tiny I would “attack” him with my hand and wrestle him.  His favorite past time is chase; we have a version of red light green light that is hilarious.  I will walk or trot through the house and he will follow but if I stop he stops and if I turn around he turns around and expects me to follow him.

Occasionally Spanky will play chase with Chewie and the other night was one such occurrence.  The center part of the living room is set up with two chairs and a table with a “track” of carpet surrounding the furniture.  That’s normally where Chewie and I chase each other and this is where I found Spanky and Chewie playing.  It began with Spanky jumping out and giving chase, then Chewie, taking a page from my book, turned around and began chasing Spanky, they went a couple of rounds around the chairs when Spanky made a hard right and ran into the kitchen.  Chewie didn’t notice and continued to run around the circle seemingly believing that Spanky was simply faster then him.  It was hilarious to watch Chewie as he would stop, flip his direction around and jump around the furniture thinking he’s catch Spanky running in that direction.  Every time I watched Chewie jump around the corner thinking Spanky was going to be there I could here him say “aha” then he’d quickly turn around because apparently Spanky was just too fast for him. 

 

I really wish I had a camera set up to record this because it went on for almost five minutes.  I was laughing the entire time.  Finally I couldn’t help myself and make the cat meow so that Chewie would realize that he wasn’t in the living room anymore.

 

Silly animals.

Triple Moose Treat

This morning I was awakened by the faint calling of my name. 

 

“Melissa.”

 

I wasn’t sure if I had really heard something or not so I waited.

 

“Hey, Melissa.”

 

“Yes?” I answered hesitantly still unsure whether I had heard something.

 

My father, the avid wildlife watcher replied, “You should come out here and take a look in the backyard; there are a couple of moose sitting out there”.

 

Wiping the sleep from my eyes I looked at the clock, 6:55 AM.  I hurriedly put on my bathrobe and grabbed my camera while starting towards the hallway.  As I approached the door, my father sheepishly commented “I tried to take pictures but I don’t think they will turn out”.

 

Sure enough when I got upstairs to the living room and looked out the window there was a cow out in the yard with her calf not very far away; both were just sitting there chewing their cud as if they did this daily.  Although we get a lot of regular deer in the yard it is still a rarity to get other large animals like the bear I wrote about almost a month ago.

Opening one of the windows for a better view I snapped some pictures.  Then I noticed a movement in the weeds just beyond the momma moose and saw another calf hidden back there.

 

As Mommy and I watched the magnificent site of this momma moose and her two calves Daddy busily worked away at making pancakes.  Just as we finished eating breakfast the one calf stood up and excused himself. 

 

Moose are amazing, such humongous bodies and such spindly legs; they just don’t seem to go together.  I wanted to know more about moose and after a quick search I learned that moose are the largest living species in the deer family.

 

Hopefully there will be more wildlife in the yard soon.

Bears and Birthdays… Oh My!

This is what we awoke to this morning

a large black bear roaming the perimeter of the backyard.  There wasn’t a lot of light so I had to adjust the picture (I also didn’t take this picture, Daddy did and he is not a tech type guy).  This big guy definitely was more of a teenager and not quite an adult (he would be massively huge then).  Cool and scary at the same time, but that’s life living in the wilderness.

 

Is a bear a good sign?  I guess it all depends on where you are and what you are doing when you see one.  Personally, I don’t like them that close to the house mostly because of Spanky and Chewie, more the wandering pet safety then our safety.  I have seen several in the woods when I used to drive to the lake and they were a good, safe distance away.  Usually we will get a stray cub but once they know people are around they stay away.

 

On another note, I had a nice quiet birthday today.  I received lots of birthday wishes and had a pleasant dinner out with my parents to make for a very happy occasion.

 

Happy Monday!

I’ve Known All Along

Baby Boy and I were talking on the phone the other day and I was relaying yet another story about the intrepid Spanky and his antics.  Baby Boy then told me about a study he read about how a cat’s meow was on the same frequency as a baby’s and that’s why people are drawn to them and nurture them.  (And who wouldn't want to nurture this fatty?)

 

After our talk I looked up and found a couple of articles about the study like “Cats mix baby 'cry' with purr to score dinner” and “Study Shows Sound of Your Cat’s Meow Triggers Human Brain Innate Need to Nurture”.  None of it was news to me.  Spanky is very communicative and has different meows, purrs and cries, depending on what he wants and who he is talking to.

 

There are parts of the article from the Sentinel that don’t follow our path… Spanky is in a three person and one dog house so that throws the single person household one-on-one relationship aspect (but they did only do this research on ten households with cats).  I would agree that cats are pretty good about getting their own way… at least with most people.

 

Spanky is pretty good about not bothering me to get what he wants (I wouldn’t say the same about him not bothering Chewie, Mommy or Daddy though).  It’s a big joke that I give the cat a time when I will feed him and he won’t bother me until then.  I’ll tell him during the next commercial or that it’s only 3:30 PM and he has to wait until 5 PM to eat.  People are shocked that he walks away (usually goes somewhere and lies down and comes back right around the time I said).

 

As I wrote above, he does have different cries and meows for different things… one for wanting in the house, one for wanting out, a meow for food and one for cuddling, etc.  Most of the time with me he just wants to be held and rocked like a baby.

 

The Register’s version wrote about how “House cats the team studied also apparently had a tendency not to perform when strangers were on the premises. ‘Cats exhibit this behavior in private with their owners, typically at anti-social times, such as first thing in the morning,’ McComb said.

 

‘I've worked on communication and cognitive abilities in a wide range of mammals, including elephants and lions, but domestic cats were one of the most challenging subjects to date,’ she added.”

 

Which, again, does not describe Spanky at all.  He talks to anyone who will listen and is just as social at midnight as he is in the morning or afternoon.  Although Spanky is the most vocal cat I have ever owned, all of my cats (and dogs and birds even a ferret) have communicated very well, followed commands, and did tricks.

 

Who knows, maybe I just pick out the best animals, at least they’re cute.

Dirty Dog or Bath Time for Bacca

Bathing a Pomeranian is not an easy undertaking.  Well the bathing part isn’t so bad, but the entire process of bathing, drying, and combing is quite the task.

 

For those that have looked around my blog before know this little cutie Chewbacca, aka Chewie.

 

During the months we have snow, having a clean dog is easy, especially since Chewie loves the snow and making doggie snow angels.  However, during these warmer, dryer months he loves to roll around in the grass and dirt, chase after squirrels and trample through the pine needles (the joys of living in the wilderness with animals).  So, Chewie gets very dirty and pitchy (so much hair and that undercoat is such a mess).  And it all has to be combed out or he gets matted fur.

 

Chewie gets bathed in the kitchen sink because he’s small and easily managed there and it has a spray nozzle (so much easier to rinse him off this way).

 

Big smiles for the camera

 

We wanted an aerial view to show just how teeny tiny he gets when his fur is wet.

 

Of course no bath is complete without a faux hawk.  Chewie gets an entire body faux hawk.

 

“I’m so big!”

 

This image has not been altered, however Chewie has lost his ears… they’re around here somewhere.

 

Time to dry and get combed

 

This is the action shot.  Inevitably he has to shake off the water and I love this captured image because of that.

 

“That comb looks yummy.”

 

Chewie meets the blow dryer.

 

And here is the massively furry creature blown out and ready to get dirty again.

 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hooked on Squirrels

Thanks to Julia over at Hooked on Houses for the wonderful idea at theme of Hooked on Fridays.

 

This Friday I’m Hooked on Squirrels.

 

There are a lot around here and several of them let me get close enough to take their picture.

 

Daddy recently had to cut down a dead tree and found this (empty) squirrel nest.  We noticed awhile ago that one of our wool packing blankets had pieces torn away from it and knew that the squirrels had done it but until this nest was found we had not seen what they had done with the pieces.

 

The other day I was outside (with my camera in tow) and saw the smallest of our squirrels headed toward the porch to snack on some sunflower seeds. 

 

It didn’t seem to mind me taking pictures and as long as I moved slowly I was able to inch closer

 

And closer

 

It would, on occasion, run back to the tree but quickly it would be back munching away on the seeds.

 

There is a bird feeder above this area that different birds feed from all day long.  Periodically we will find the squirrels on it as well.  Sometimes though they will just eat what has fallen to the ground like this little guy.

 

(I think it’s funny when I find Spanky (the cat) covered in sunflower seed shells because he sleeps on the porch below the bird feeder.)  We also tend to get a lot of sunflowers growing around the porch and in our flower containers in the area because of fallen seeds and because the squirrels have actually saved (planted) seeds in the containers.

 

Happy (Hooked on) Friday(s)!!

Isn’t it supposed to be the Lazy Days of Summer?

With the fabulous weather we have been having up here in the inland northwest these last couple of weeks all of us have grown accustomed to spending a lot of time outdoors (until the bugs become so unbearable, but that’s usually just in the evening, thankfully).

 

With the warmer weather and the birthing of new animals and birds Mr. Spanky McFatterson aka Killer, likes to spend more and more time outside.  He spends his nights stalking prey, which sometimes, unfortunately, he likes to share by placing it on the porch for us to find later.  However, he does tend to keep the gopher population down which is a great thing for our gardens.  As opposed to the nights, Spanks days are spent sleeping and lounging around.  Recently I have found him hiding out in these bottomless drawers (we’re using for a project)

 

Daddy had an empty box and for some reason figured that the empty drawers would be a good place to put it and Spanky can’t resist his hiding place with a box in it so that’s how I found him the other day… on top of box, fast asleep.

 

He has gotten in the habit of greeting me when I get home from work.  It’s quite cute.  He waits on the porch and runs to my car, once I’ve stopped it, jumps on it and tires to climb into my arms.  The other day he heard me pull in and came bounding around the corner of the house from way out in the woods to greet me.  It’s a nice welcome home.

 

Sometimes though, he just wants to play and hides so that he can jump out at me (or the dog).  So, as I walked past the bench the other day this is what I found

 

…as he tried to grab my foot.  He loves to do that to Chewie.

 

Speaking of Chewie, he has been lazing around enjoying the weather too

 

 

and loves to curl up on my lap when I get home and take a breather before I start working on all these projects that I have going for upcoming shows.

I love my animals.