These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Max, Lex, & Pizza

The homecoming was pretty unspectacular, actually, except for the fact that a trap I designed and Garrett set up worked perfectly. Worked spectacularly, if I do say so myself! When Garrett came home from work last night around 8:00, Max was there. Here is how it happened.

I have two dog doors at my house, one to the backyard, and one to the front deck which is fully secured. The dogs can run through the house, in and out, front and back, at will. Since we were leaving the gate on the front deck open for Max, we needed to keep the other four guys from going to the deck and going on their own adventure, so Garrett and I brainstormed about how to keep four dogs at home while allowing Max to come in the front. I wanted Max to come in the house, even if we weren't catching him. I wanted him to know, to remember where "home" is.

I have a couple baby gates that I use to to keep The Kids in and area or out of an area when necessary. I had Garret set it up so the pups would be staying in my bedroom and the laundry room with access to the back yard. This allowed them to move around, have comfort and have access to the outside without being able to go out the front. Then we could leave the front dog door and the deck gate open for Max.

To be sure they wouldn't knock the baby gate down and escape, I had Garrett move a large, heavy bag of dog food against the gate so it couldn't be pulled down or knocked down by The Kids. Then on the other side of the baby gate, I had Garrett put a small, single-step stool. The idea for this was my trickery .... I hoped that Max would come in, get on the stool and jump over to the other side to visit his canine family, Then he would be unable to go back over and be trapped. And, voilĂ !!!!  That's exactly what happened!

Garrett walked in from work, and Max was blocked behind the baby gate with his buddies!

Garrett called me last night as soon as he got the front gate secured. Unfortunately, it was 8:15 in New Mexico and 10:15 here, just the time I was washing my face and brushing my teeth for bed. I went to bed and slept through the night without knowing it!! I dreamed last night about being home with Max and the others. I wonder if I knew at some level. Anyway, early this morning, about 6:00 here, I woke and reached for my phone to see the time. To my surprise, there was a voice mail waiting for me!  My phone is set up to do reminder beeps every 15 minutes when a message is left, but it is not doing that, obviously!

Since I didn't want to wake poor Garrett at 4:00, I had to wait a few hours, than I got the story around 10:00, and we enjoyed a smug moment over our cleverness! We outsmarted Mr. Smartypants Max!

Other news on the good side today .... Lexi's team won their game 3-0. They looked very good, and I was impressed. Four years ago she was 8, and when she had to play goalie, she hated it and pouted. If you aren't familiar with soccer, being goalie is very important, but it is also a boring position at times, because if the rest of the team is playing well, you have very little to do and you are isolated from the others. She played that position for the first half, and her team did an excellent job of keeping the other team out of their end of the field. She made a few good blocks when she had the chance. The second half she played a different position. Now that she has gained in knowledge and expertise, she likes playing goalie. It's still boring, but understands the importance.




This is how goalies look when their teammates are playing well .... bored!














Water break! Lexi is holding the big blue water jug in front of her.



And here she comes, ready to send it flying!














Getting control .....














Winding up ......


















Layin' the foot in ....


















And lettin' 'her rip!


















The girls played well, obviously. I'm so proud of her.

While we girls went to the soccer game, Philip and his daddy played golf. I wish I were here longer so I could see him play, too, but not this time.

OK, gotta go. Pizza's ready, fresh off the grill, wood smoked. Do I have a keeper of a son-in-law, or what?

7 comments:

  1. Glad to hear all is well once again..will he be grounded? (snicker)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad to hear Max is home and safe. And Hooray for a keeper SIL.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad Max is back home and safe. I love how you outsmarted him, very clever.

    I enjoyed the photos very much! Hannah use to play Goalie when she was younger, before her concussion. I often wonder what she would be like now, if she had been allowed to keep playing. She LOVED the game, but your right, Goalie can be boring for for young kids, when the action is at the other end of the field. I have to find those photos now! Good memories.

    You son in law is a keeper, for sure.

    Take care and safe travels.

    XXXXXXXX

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, Moni, worthy of a Snoopy happy dance!

    Ruth, I'm still contemplating the superglue/tail/floor idea!

    Daisy, I am so relieved! Having a keeper SIL is a blessing, for sure!

    Cheryl, I'm feeling pretty cleaver!

    It is too bad Hannah had that injury. To think of the rest of your life and hers having to consider the "what ifs" Is sad, isn't it? I'm glad the injury wasn't even deeper.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You couldn't have a game without the goalie! But it's great that Lexi was able to play a different position,it's great that they get to experience that!
    And aren't you the cleaver one with your sly little dogie trap! I am so glad that it worked out for you Lyn.
    Hopefully Max won't be so adventurous from now on! Love Di ♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. So cleaver, glad Max is home and I'm sure your heart is full again.

    ReplyDelete

If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!