Winter! (Or: All the things we said we’d do before the rains….)

The first snows fell in the Northern Sierras last week—and this week, winter arrived in the Bay Area with a bang, shattering the rain records as the remnants of a Pacific typhoon swept in.

This is happy news for our garden and our fruit trees, which have been gasping for water the past few weeks. (I’ve been holding off on any big watering efforts because our clay soil stays moist for a few weeks, and, well, the rains were coming!)

This is less happy news for other members of the family:

You're serious? Umm, that's okay, I'm good here, thanks.

And even less happy news for:

• Our rain barrels. Yeah, they’re still in the garage. We just need to build them a platform, but unfortunately neither of us knows how to build a platform. Bleh.
• Our rafters. Umm. A few of them have been Bondo’ed where the knob-and-tube electrical wiring used to be attached….but the rest still need to be patched and painted. Maybe this weekend, if things dry out enough before then (and we finally find a ladder that’s tall enough!) We lose major points on this one since it’s actually a leftover project from last summer….augh! (We replaced the wiring right after we moved in to placate our insurance company.)
• Our bedroom windows. We still have not replaced these because I haven’t had time to go debate the whole permit issue with the City. (I did finally talk to people there, but got two completely contradictory, mutually exclusive answers from the two departments that are ostensibly supposed to approve our window replacement permit. Ugh. I hate bureaucracy!)
• Our baseboard gravity registers. I took these apart three months ago to try to strip the paint off of them. Then I discovered that they’re actually broken (from being forced open and shut, I think). Then I discovered that when the heat was installed, someone creatively stacked a bunch of wood together to “frame” the register, and when I took the register off, the wood moulding fell apart. Then I ordered new registers only to discover that the size is off by half an inch. Argh. Somehow this needs to get fixed before we have to turn the heat on…

So I guess a busy work weekend lies ahead!

Hug a big black dog today!

Apparently today is Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day (who knew??) and the Chron has a feature on the least adoptable of all: Big Black Dogs! Shelters report “big black dog syndrome”—something mysterious that seems to discourage adoptions of big black dogs.

Since we have a resident Big Black Dog, I figured a photo essay on their merits was in order.

TOP TEN SEVEN REASONS TO ADOPT A BIG BLACK DOG (hey, it’s late…)

1) They help around the house.

What do you mean you just vacuumed?!?

2) They help around the yard.

Here, lemme take care of that {choose one: whitefly/crane fly/beautiful rare butterfly} for you...

3) They keep an eye on the neighbors.

Wait, remind me who you are again?

4) They appreciate the good things in life.

Mmm....would have been even better with a bit of olive oil and salt!

5) They can do tricks.

6) They have good manners.

7) ….and when you come home at the end of the day, they’re waiting for you.

If you live in the Bay Area, there are lots of great places to adopt a big black dog (or lots of others); here are a few of my favorites:

• Milo Foundation
• Hopalong Animal Rescue
• ARF (where the Labradane came from!)
• Smiley Dog Rescue
• East Bay SPCA
• Berkeley Humane Society

Like the Chron article says—start seeing black dogs!

Already have a dog? Here’s a (really bizarre, but hey!) event coming up in our ‘hood if you want a night out with your mutt while you raise money for some of the organizations above:

Hollywoof: Movie Night with your Dog
Friday, August 14, 2009, 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Uptown Body & Fender, 401 26th Street, Oakland
From their website: “Hollywoof is a one-of-a-kind event for both dog lovers and dogs alike. With a dog masseuse pampering pooches, photographers taking candid portraits, free raffle prizes from local businesses, and a “Doggy” Bar, there will be plenty of entertainment for you and your pup. To cap off the evening, we will be showing the award-winning documentary “MINE” by local independent film maker Geralyn Pezanoski. All proceeds will benefit local organizations, “MINE” the movie, and its outreach efforts nationwide. And yes, dogs can stay for the movie too!” [The movie is about a Katrina survivor's fight to be reunited with his dog, which had been rescued and placed out for adoption in another state after he had to leave the dog behind during the storm.]

Happy New Year!

Big Black Dog

Gratuitous pictures of the dog, in honor of his six-month anniversary with us!

Mmmm…..grass! I can’t believe you people got rid of this stuff.

Oh, please don’t put that cookie on my nose again.

I’m staying so nicely that I know you have a treat for me.

I also go to bed when you tell me to. Sometimes. Okay, on occasion.

….but this cuteness is all cleverly designed to hide the fact that I am POSSESSED! (Don’t believe me? Hang out here one morning around 7:30 am….)