Q: You almost died last week?
A: No, and where did you hear that? Oh, I see where you are getting this. Let me set the scene: Flash to me driving in the middle of Utah at 3 AM. Cameron is sleeping soundly as I am trying to fight sleep by listening to, none other than, NKOTB (please stay with me here). There is a flash in the sky as a falling (not shooting - falling) star plummets down to earth right in front of the car. I'm not sure exactly how big this falling star was...or close it was for that matter, but if I had to guess I would say it was the size of Delaware and about 100 yards away. This is, of course, an absurd guess. But I am an absurd girl. And hey, if you know off the top of your head how big the average shooting star is, then go ahead and correct me (Side note: Don’t correct me). Anyway, from the looks of it, I was convinced that it was the end for Cameron, me, "Dusty The 4-Runner", and the two other cars I had seen in the last 30 minutes. As you might have guessed, time passed, nothing happened - so it must have been smaller than Delaware after all.
*no picture for obvious reasons
Q: What are some of the things that you and Cameron have been high fiving about lately?
A: That is kind of personal...but I will humor you anyway. Two words - Fantasy Football. After our Scurrilous Scalawags' abysmal 0-4 start, the Butler household was tense, at best. Hernias, sprained ankles, broken ribs, turf toes, and general lazy attitudes all contributed to our winless '08 season. But, right when we considered giving up, right after we took on the attitude of "we don't give a rip", we began a two week winning streak. High-Five to that!
Q: What are some of the things that you and Cameron have been high fiving about lately?
A: That is kind of personal...but I will humor you anyway. Two words - Fantasy Football. After our Scurrilous Scalawags' abysmal 0-4 start, the Butler household was tense, at best. Hernias, sprained ankles, broken ribs, turf toes, and general lazy attitudes all contributed to our winless '08 season. But, right when we considered giving up, right after we took on the attitude of "we don't give a rip", we began a two week winning streak. High-Five to that!
Note to reader: in the time it took me to get around to posting this, our winning streak was violently snapped and we are back to yelling things like "Even I could score 2 points, you swine" at the TV. Thanks for bringing this subject up.
*Side note to anyone still reading (hi mom): No, I am not one of those girls who pretends to like football so a guy will like me. I have always watched football...even by myself through the 90's and the first four years of the 2000's. And besides, pulling that bait-n-switch on a guy is the lowest a girl can go and I refuse to be "that girl".
Q: Knowing what you know now, would you ever think about getting another puppy?
A: Well, I like knowing what I know now and can say with joy that we can check this one off the ol' "to do" list. Let's face it, Mowgli needed a playmate that was not a human with a pony tail that he loved to chew on. We adopted a "mastiff mix" about a month ago and as soon as we got the mutt home she started coming apart at the seams. The first three weeks were rough ones as she had a parasite, a scratched cornea, and a leg that, for all we knew, looked broken. After meds, "the cone", middle of the night eye drops, and massive amounts of vitamins, Libby is back on track and growing like a weed. There is a game we like to play called "guess the breed" and so far Mastiff, German Shepherd, Beagle, Bernese Mountain Dog, and St. Bernard have all made it into the hat. At the same time, Mowgli's make-up continues to be a mystery as well. They are both mutts but feel free to take a guess:
Q: Knowing what you know now, would you ever think about getting another puppy?
A: Well, I like knowing what I know now and can say with joy that we can check this one off the ol' "to do" list. Let's face it, Mowgli needed a playmate that was not a human with a pony tail that he loved to chew on. We adopted a "mastiff mix" about a month ago and as soon as we got the mutt home she started coming apart at the seams. The first three weeks were rough ones as she had a parasite, a scratched cornea, and a leg that, for all we knew, looked broken. After meds, "the cone", middle of the night eye drops, and massive amounts of vitamins, Libby is back on track and growing like a weed. There is a game we like to play called "guess the breed" and so far Mastiff, German Shepherd, Beagle, Bernese Mountain Dog, and St. Bernard have all made it into the hat. At the same time, Mowgli's make-up continues to be a mystery as well. They are both mutts but feel free to take a guess:
Now that we have that taken care of, the only challenge for Cameron and me is learning the dog brain and resisting the temptation to approach situations with a "I do not poo on your stuff" kind of attitude. The alternative is, well, out of the question.
Q: Speaking of CA, how was the weather?
A: That is a silly question so I think I will ignore it. But, we did have a great time hanging out with Cameron's family, going to his cousin's wedding, and bonfiring (Verb? Why not?) at the beach.
Q: What is the quickest way to forget about coming face to face with an angry 1,500 lb moose?
A: I am glad you asked. Try this on for size, hearing a bear roar...close...in the woods to your immediate left.
A few weeks back Cameron, Mowgli, and I got a late jump on our decision to finally finish the Emmaline Lake Hike...to the end. Call it what you will, but Cameron and I saw "8 hours round trip" in the hike book, looked at each other, exchanged a small wink, and decided we could make it in 5. Hopefully you call it blind optimism rather than pure cockiness.
We were heading up to the lake as everyone was heading home, never a good sign. None the less, we pushed on and were glad we did. The summit was, in a word, beautiful. Our time taking pictures and enjoying the reward was cut short by the sneaking suspicion that we might outlast the sun on this one so we headed down the mountain "with purpose". The miles were flying by until we came face to face with two very large moose (note: they injure more people than all of those other animals coming to your mind...combined). We launched into problem solving mode. Cameron insisted we make a plan of retreat in case our plan of advance did not work. The tall tree to my right was my escape plan...hindsight is 20/20 but I was not being realistic. We continued - in order to scare it off our path we tried throwing rocks, banging sticks, and yelling - all the while advancing...nothing made the beasts even flinch. Before we knew it we were tromping through brush, prehistoric weapons in hand, giving the stubborn moose (and whatever young'un they may have) a wide birth. Finally we were able to hook back up with the trail and use adrenaline to pick up our pace and make up some lost time. Right about when I started to tire, we heard a load roar in the trees to our left. New weapons were found and our breakneck speed was increased...something I thought not possible. In the end, we made it home and learned our lesson to not throw rocks at moose. Or was it leave for hikes earlier? I can't remember.
We were heading up to the lake as everyone was heading home, never a good sign. None the less, we pushed on and were glad we did. The summit was, in a word, beautiful. Our time taking pictures and enjoying the reward was cut short by the sneaking suspicion that we might outlast the sun on this one so we headed down the mountain "with purpose". The miles were flying by until we came face to face with two very large moose (note: they injure more people than all of those other animals coming to your mind...combined). We launched into problem solving mode. Cameron insisted we make a plan of retreat in case our plan of advance did not work. The tall tree to my right was my escape plan...hindsight is 20/20 but I was not being realistic. We continued - in order to scare it off our path we tried throwing rocks, banging sticks, and yelling - all the while advancing...nothing made the beasts even flinch. Before we knew it we were tromping through brush, prehistoric weapons in hand, giving the stubborn moose (and whatever young'un they may have) a wide birth. Finally we were able to hook back up with the trail and use adrenaline to pick up our pace and make up some lost time. Right about when I started to tire, we heard a load roar in the trees to our left. New weapons were found and our breakneck speed was increased...something I thought not possible. In the end, we made it home and learned our lesson to not throw rocks at moose. Or was it leave for hikes earlier? I can't remember.
Q: If people say that "spring has sprung" can't it be said that "fall has fell"?
A: Yeah, I guess you can put it that way, although it IS a bit negative. But, negative or not, while we were on the beach in CA, snow was falling on the mountain top... a clear cut - smack you in the face, freeze you in the fingers - sign that summer is over. And the anticipated amount of firewood we will need to make it through these next fill in the blank cold months means that I should be firing up the chainsaw instead of answering all of your questions. Function over form...or something like that...
A: Yeah, I guess you can put it that way, although it IS a bit negative. But, negative or not, while we were on the beach in CA, snow was falling on the mountain top... a clear cut - smack you in the face, freeze you in the fingers - sign that summer is over. And the anticipated amount of firewood we will need to make it through these next fill in the blank cold months means that I should be firing up the chainsaw instead of answering all of your questions. Function over form...or something like that...
3 comments:
Thank you for this most recent Q&A session. And clearly, more than just your mother reads your blog (but hi mom!)
A few Questions/comments on your Q&A
1. Was it the New New Kids on the Block (NNKOTB)?
2. While I would not consider myself as competitive as the Butlers, I do accept a challenge when I see one:
A shooting star according to Wikipedia (which we know from Michael Scott "is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know that you are getting the best possible information.”) can also be a "Dodecatheon, a genus of herbaceous flowering plants,
A professional wrestling aerial technique, or an award for young European actors at the Berlin International Film Festival" So, when considering whether you truely were in danger, I thought I should know which shooting star you were referring to. Because, according to space.com (yes, I am clearly not wanting to work today)the typical size of a shooting star is that of a marble...scary Katie!
However, if you were talking about a professional wrestling aerial technique, then I totally understand jumping to the immediate conclusion that you could have died.
3. I am very excited to hear that you have a dog named Libby. Mostly, this comes from the fact that I hear so often from people, "Your name is Missy, that is my dog's name." As I have a coworker named Libby, I feel like I can now return this favor, and saying.
4. A few more moose facts for you:
a. There is an entire blog devoted to this very fact: www.moose-facts.blogspot.com.
b. The moose can run 35 miles per hour and swim 10 miles and hour...get him on a bike and he would be quite the triathlete.
c. Moose live for a long time (this I didn't find very useful, but still a fact, I suppose.)
Thanks for the post Katie...hope to hear from you soon!
Really more comments that questions for you.
:)
Hey what a treat to see an update. That is a pretty amazing story about the shooting star. You know, meteors quite valuable. I would like to hear more about this sometime. I can't believe you threw rocks at a moose. Hmm had it been me I probably would have turned around. Perhaps you should start carrying an airhorn. 3rd year is flying by. Liking pediatrics a lot and the kids seem to respond well to me. I think its because I'm short. Currently in San Francisco on a rotation, but going back to New Hampshire in about 10 days. Anyhow, just thought I"d say hello. Keep up the posting. I enjoy your blog.
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