Our JennEric Life

Dec

2009

Or why my husband thinks I'm an idiot

night-1

It was a cold snowy Saturday night and I thought I would be really smart & kill two birds with one stone.

Bird 1 being walking Maggie Moo
Bird 2 being feeding & watering the black dog
- A task usually done once Moo’s back in the house.

So I loaded up me, Moo, the food, the water bottle, the extra dog treats, the pig stick for the pup, the camera & about 10 lbs of extra clothes for our late night trek.

Along the way I remember how bad I am at night time photography & thought enough in advance to take this random shot of Moo’s backside near the Lumber Baron’s wood pile…just to see if my settings were right.

Satisfied I had finally figured it out, we turned toward the construction site.

night-2

I let the black dog & Maggie say hello.

[Sniffs here - sniffs there]

It was all very pleasant at first - until the black dog realized,

‘Hey! A dog I can play with!’

The calm interchange turned into jumps & yelps from the black dog as Maggie backed away from him, not wanting to play.

So I slipped the end of Maggie’s leash over the upright wooden support of a nearby construction pallet – telling her to sit & stay while I walked back to the pup to feed & water him.

Everything was going well….I poured the food in his makeshift bowl….I opened up the water bottle & poured it into his water bowl…

night-3

…and then like an unthinking idiot I tossed the empty bottle behind me – because the black pup likes to try & chew it up if it’s in reach.

It landed smack-dab behind Maggie – completely spooking her…and off she went.

Like a bat out of Hell she pulled the upright support completely away from the pallet – in the process shaking & pulling the pallet loose & forward a good 2 feet.

And I turned just in time to see her flying into the woods dragging the leash & wooden support behind her…and then she was gone….in the dark, in the snow.

I called & called her.

Nothing.

I whistled & whistled for her.

Nothing.

I ran up one side & down the other of our little wooded area – twice.

Nothing.

No trace – no sound….she was gone.

Panic began to sink in as I realized I wasn’t going to be able to find her – lost in Korea without her name tag on her collar (I know! I know…).

What if she ran into the street? How do I put up a ‘Lost Dog’ sign in Korean? What if a farmer found her & decided she could feed the family for the next 3 months?

All of these things were racing through my mind as I raced through the woods.

I didn’t have my cell phone on me. I couldn’t call Eric to come help me look – I’d have to go back home to get him.

So I ran.

With 15 lbs of clothes on me I ran the winding half mile back to the house.

I bolted through the door shouting,

‘YOU HAVE TO STOP! YOU HAVE TO COME RIGHT NOW!’

As I grabbed up the car keys telling him Maggie was lost – that I had no idea where she was & couldn’t find her, he bolted upright & raced back out the front door with me.

Like a mad woman I threw open the driver’s side door just as Eric said,

‘Maggie Moo’s right there.’

I looked up to see our big goofy girl, bounding from the other side of the complex running right towards us….minus the leash.

PUPPY UPDATE: The black dog is doing well. He continues to eat & eat. But what he really loves are milk bones. He’ll do just about anything for a milk bone. I actually think it’s the interaction of me feeding him that he prefers more…not necessarily the taste.

But he can sit on command, pay attention on command & is learning the hand signals that go along with those commands. His manners have greatly approved so there’s far less jumping up on me these days. And he’s learned that being near my face is a good thing – as I let him take treats from my hand which I put right up against my cheek.

Every night I walk out to feed him & give him a massage – rubbing his neck, his ears, his shoulders. When the ground is dry I’ll scoop up hay from the rice fields & put it in his house. But since it’s been snowing everything’s wet – so tonight Eric gave him one of Maggie’s old blankets.

But we still don’t know who owns him.

Category: Embarrassing Moments, Eric, Jennifer, Maggie Moo, Neighborhood Dogs, Our Neighborhood, The Black Dog 3 Comments

Dec

2009

My First Shiner

No, Not a Shiner Bach - a Shiner

jennifer

shiner

[Ugh!....What made me think it was a good idea to post such a blown-up picture?]

But I’m pretty proud of it actually.

You’d think given my big mouth, my innate ability to cause trouble & my tomboy past that I’d already have had several of them.

But no…this is my first…and I need to set the record straight.

While it’s not that noticeable, it’s there…and someone on base is bound to notice.

So before I get accosted by the Chaplain, visited by the MP’s or counseled by Eric’s CO…stirring up a whole ‘nother kind of trouble I don’t need,..

Chaplain: Military Clergy
MP: Military Police
CO: Commanding Officer

Let me explain. No wait…there is no time. Let me sum up.

(*Name that movie & I’ll give you a cookie…a hint?…Ok, say it with a Spanish accent.)

Me + Moo x Excitement² = Head-Butt to the Face

head

See that big bump on the top of her boney head?…That’s part of her skull – the skull that is still expanding & has another year and a half before it stops growing.

(Bullmastiffs aren’t fully grown until they’re 3…and their head is the last thing to develop…it’s the Bulldog-part of Bullmastiffs.)

Unfortunately it’s the physics of owning a big dog.

head2

All that matter & pent-up energy can suddenly erupt into an unintentional explosion of nuclear portions impacting the sub-atomic level of my poorly positioned & clearly unprotected cranium.

And if I got any of that wrong, my new next-door neighbor will straighten me out – he’s a 14 year-old Aeronautics Engineer in the making.

And if I got that wrong too, he’ll let me know. He’s a super cool kid – even though he wants to join the Air Force. But we’ve decided not to hold that against him. But I digress…

So yes – it was the dog.

[stating clearly for the record]

IT – WAS – THE – DOG!

I’ve decided not to press charges and instead have suggested mandatory counseling & 30 days without pig ears.

Ok, maybe 3.

PS – A Shiner Bach is a Texas beer….just in case I totally lost you on that one.

Category: Embarrassing Moments, Jennifer, Maggie Moo 4 Comments

Dec

2009

Party Time

Just don't forget to wear your electric socks

jennifer

dealers

Last night was the battalion Christmas Party.

For those not familiar with the military, every division, every battalion, every company has a nickname.

In this case, 4th Battalion 2nd Aviation Regiment (4-2) is known as the Death Dealers.

Not the most appropriate of names to help convey the holiday spirit, but it’s great for instilling fear & dread…think of them as the ghost of Christmas Past.

hangar

Our battalion is somewhere around 800 soldiers, so the party was held in the hangar.

And given the fact that last night’s low was 15 degrees, well…let’s just say we all kept our coats & hats on.

guam

The party was complete with ukulele-playing, carol singing soldiers originally from Guam, camera carrying KATUSA’s galore, the ever popular inflated again/deflated again bouncy house for the few kiddos here & Santa of course…flown in on his very own Apache.

(Ok so he didn’t actually “fly” in per se…it was more of a ‘Hey!…Do you hear the helicopter outside? That must be Santa!’ kinda thing.)

sleigh

There were lots of great door prizes and activity stations for the kids.

We waited & waited for the buffet line to get shorter only to find we were eating the worst Christmas dinner ever.

But it was a valiant attempt…turkey, ham, canned cranberry sauce, corn, fairly raw green beans, completely saltless mashed potatoes, a gelatinous turkey gravy that could out lump a gravel road & your choice of chocolate chip cookie or heavily-frosted piece of sheet cake.

Ahhh….memories.

santa