Surprise!

My uncle solved the mystery! According to him, the mutant flowers in the backyard are Surprise Lilies! Look how pretty they will be! Now that I know what they are, I really can't wait for them to bloom. Not to mention that I can stop fearing that radiation will cause Siena to become the size of a bear.

Case closed -- thanks Dert!

What we be up to

Seeing that it's already Wednesday, this weekend update is a tad late. But, as they say, better late than never, right? Here's the weekend roundup, photo-essay style:

Friday afternoon was gorgeous weather-wise. I slipped off my flats...

And actually ran around the backyard barefoot playing with the dog. Ryan had recently picked up poo, so it was safe. While I was out, I noticed that the mystery plants had grown a considerable amount. I'm beginning to think they may be some sort of bush rather than actual flowers. I say that because I looked outside again today and they are probably two feet tall, which seems tall for flowers other than sunflowers, and I know what sunflowers look like -- these aren't it. Maybe they're mutant flowers. We did have radon in the basement...

The next outside attraction is our new composite pile. Thrilling! Please contain your excitement. But it is a green effort, so I'm patting myself on the back.

After Siena and I's play and photo session, she crashed, finding a sunny spot in her bed.

Later that weekend, I continued transforming our drab office into office extraordinaire, with a strong MU theme. Here I am amazed by what, at the time, I thought would be the last coat: a coat of gold leaf paint. Too bad there aren't pictures of me after the fourth coat of the shimmery stuff; believe me the charm wore off pretty quickly.

Here's a sample of the gold paint trim on top of "bundled rye." Seems innocent enough, right? Looks are deceiving. This paint rolls so that you can see every single imperfection in your rolling and trimming. Although the gold effect is cool, it's not a quick project. (We basically have the room done now--thank God--but I'm saving my before and after pics for our housewarming party.)

While I was battling the office, Ryan was ripping carpet off our stairs. Siena "helped," too.

After a hard weekend's work, Ryan and I enjoyed this fantastic bottle of wine. It was one of the bottles we took back home with us after the honeymoon. It was just as delicious as we remembered (the winery was amazing by the way), which made us...

Happy as clams!

Siena is already becoming eccentric.

Although Siena is a mere five months old, she's already developed quite the list of bizarre, eccentric habits, typically seen only in dogs 10+ years.

Here are a few of them:

1) She loves rocks. Has anyone seen that one Dog Whisperer where the dog is obsessed with rocks and chooses rocks over balls and toys to chew on? I hope to God that isn't my dog. As of late, she's grown accustomed to finding rocks in the yard and bringing them into the screened in porch to chew on. She's also assembled a pile of rocks in the middle of the yard. I have no idea how chewing on rocks can feel good, so I'm hoping she just likes the taste of dirt. Or is a hoarder. Either way, Ryan and I have tried to halt this development by attempting to pick up all the rocks in the backyard. Talk about fun.

2) She humps me. She'll actually run up to me, wrap her paws around my leg and go at it a few times. Girl dogs don't usually hump, so we may have a lesbian dog. That really doesn't bother me too much though; she rarely does it. What does really bother me though is that when she does it, she stares deeply into my eyes. (Note: She has tried to hump Ryan once or twice, but she never looks at him the same loving way.)

3) She is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. And when I saw afraid, I mean deathly afraid. And it doesn't have to be running to incite fear. The mere knowledge that it's in another room can set her ears down and back. We've been trying to desensitize her to the vacuum cleaner by making her sniff it every day, but each time she'll still scurry out of the room barking.

I should have known...Siena is a Walters, and no one who is named Walters--including myself--can be normal. No one.

Sheepish Grin

Tish found the below video today (caveat: you have to endure a short lame commercial to get to the good stuff, but wait it out because it's worth it, I promise), and I had to share because I absolutely adore sheep. They're cute. They're cuddly. They're not very smart. And, they can be really freaking funny. I mean, come on. They baaaa as a form of communication. What's not to love and giggle at?

Sure, they're scared and that one dude is lassoing them, which isn't very nice, but it's better than being left on the highway unprotected. The news anchors are pretty good, too. It's hard to report on sheep without making at least one "black sheep" joke, I imagine.

Belated Easter Post; Securing Good Karma

First off, happy belated Easter to all. Here's a cartoon that cracks me up every freaking year:


I had an awesomely productive and heathen weekend. Ryan and I spent Friday night with friends, watching basketball and eating pizza. Saturday we spent the entire afternoon in the yard, puppy-proofing it and cleaning up leaves and such (oh the joys of owning of a home and a dog), and that evening we had dinner in the Power and Light District and stayed out late drinking with friends. Sunday morning, I convinced Ryan that we shouldn't go to church (honestly, we'd be one of those people who only go twice a year, and I hate being such a hypocrite), and instead I painted the office (more on that later this week when I finish up the "Mizzou Room") and Ryan played video games. (Holy, I know.) Sunday afternoon, Ryan and I did make an appearance at his parent's house to gorge ourselves on a ridiculous amount of food that his mom had prepared. It was one big tasty feast.

Siena had quite the weekend as well. She discovered a love for the water hose (I must get video of it and share; it's hilarious) and that paint really isn't very tasty.

This weekend, I also secured my good karma for at least a few weeks. While in Chicago two weeks ago, I lost a $20 bill, and Tish helped me feel better about it (it was the last cash I had left for the trip, and while I was away, Ryan had forgotten our ATM pin number and locked us out of our account for the remaining 24 hours of my trip, so I literally had no cash to get) by rationalizing that someone who needed it more than me would find it and be happy. Then, before we went over to Ryan's parent's house yesterday, we stopped for a very old dog that was obviously someone's pet and obviously very lost. Nimmer, as we came to learn after calling and then meeting her owner, was 13 years old, deaf and mostly blind. Thankfully, we found her before she went out into any of the busier streets in our neighborhood, and she had tags, and her owner was at home.

Now, according to good ole Wiki:

Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to them and others.

Soooo...I figure my "giving" of the $20 bill and the saving of the dog is enough to make up for my flippant nature regarding church and weekend sinning...right???

Coming clean

I know the blog has been Siena heavy lately, and I don't want to become one of those annoying dog people, but I think it's too late. In fact, I read this and found it not only cute but also tempting to do. So, to hell with it, I'm coming clean. Here's my official statement:

"When it comes to dogs, Jennipher is no longer an objective member of society. She has stepped down to better serve the needs of herself. Let it be known that, in her mind, Siena is a dog unmatched in intelligence, agility and cuteness. Instead of pretending to be objective and not obsessed with her dog for the rest of her life, she's decided to come clean. She is, in fact, hopeless. She hopes you understand."

Phew. I feel better. Now I can stop apologizing for posting things like this:

Here's a shot of us making dinner. Siena patiently waits for me to drop something. She's figured out pretty quickly that I'm the clumsy one in the house and that I drop things on a somewhat regular basis.




Like most puppies, Siena is rough on her toys. Lately though it's become a bit worrisome. Earlier this week, I found this:


Which I reassembled to be Truman.


Just for reference, here's what Truman looked like earlier this month. The signs were all there; I blame myself for what happened.

First day of spring celebration

Today was gorgeous, and Mother Nature definitely blessed us with a beautiful first day of spring, living up to everything I said spring should be in the dorky poem below. In honor of this glorious day, Ryan, Siena and I spent quite a bit of time outside playing in the backyard. Because I had a horrendous time trying to write today at work, I don't think I'm up to describing it solely with words. Therefore, my friends, I've compiled the following photo essay with minimal verbiage:

This (what I assume to be) curious flower popped up the other day. I'm not sure exactly what it is or what it will do, so if you know, please leave a comment:

I'm probably most curious to know if it comes up yearly or if it's a one-shot flower. I hope it comes up yearly because if not, that means that the poor late Earl isn't here to see it. Either way, I'll appreciate the flowers Tolle-style and try to make sure that Siena doesn't devour them too violently.

I'm not exactly sure where this piece of landscaping trim came from, but Siena found it and now cherishes it. This afternoon she dragged her prized possession to the middle of the yard for a serious chew-down.

Here's a close-up of her frolicking with it:


After a few rounds of energetic fetch...


And even sitting on command between throws...


Siena needed a drink; She isn't used to the non-freezing conditions. Note that screens used to be in that door frame. Siena busted through one and chewed through the other. It's a self-made doggie door.

Next stop? The planter. It's seriously her favorite spot. When we first got her there were mums planted in them; now there are nubs where living things used to be. (This is not a good sign for the aforementioned flowers.)

Finally, Siena came inside for some snuggle time. Happy first day of spring, everyone!