De-Snaking, Dallas, and Newsflash! Snooty and Bovines to meet the Heifers

Okay. It’s 11 p.m., Sunday night, and I just got in bed. It’s been another crazy weekend.

Saturday morning, I got up at 5 a.m. in order to go to the De-Snaking Clinic. Zack did his usual keeping the trainer between himself and the snake – man, is he one smart dog. And Zoie? Well, she did just as I thought she would…she planted her nosy little self right in the middle of that snake, not once, but twice, and got the shock of her life. She jumped about three feet in the air. (Now, remember, these snakes had their mouths sewn shut, so Zoie was completely safe…and the shock was a real one, administered by way of a shock collar.) But the negative reinforcement will make her associate the smell of the snake with the hurt of the collar, and she’ll hopefully go around the snake out in the field.
This is how a dog should look when it smells a snake...like it wants to be anywhere but there.




This is Zoie, almost right on top of snake #2. She's smelling it, but curiosity got the better of her, and she just had to go say, "Hi."


And here Zoie is again, close to being within striking distance of the snake, and she's totally unaware. The snake has an orange flag tied to it, to help identify where it is. (When it gets hot, the snakes start to move.) I think she may have left her "smarts" in Kansas. (Okay, not really, I do love her!) Well, up against Zack, she doesn't measure up in brain power. But Zack may be MIT material. Can dogs go to MIT?

I stayed at the clinic and worked registration until about 10 a.m., then ran home, got ready, and packed so MLH and I could catch the flight to Dallas. Pam O pulled a good one on her hubby, and successfully planned and executed his surprise 60th birthday party. We had a great time at the party; it was great to see everyone, and to meet people we’d only heard about. We then went to Doug and Karen’s to spend the night. We were pretty tired, so I went to bed, and I think Karen did the same. MLH and Doug, however, decided to taste test a bottle of Talisker 18 until about 3 or 4 a.m. this morning and inhale some Cubans. And the empty bottle was the first thing Karen showed me this morning. Those guys had taste tested it all! Well, at least they’re thorough!

We all went to breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes, then Karen and I did a little shopping while Doug and MLH worked in the backyard. MLH and I caught our flight home this evening, and arrived at our house right on the heels of Suzan, who is Zack and Zoie’s fairy godmother. It’s great to see her! Suzan and her husband just sold their house in Lubbock, and will soon be living in Pennsylvania. We’ll all be racking up air miles visiting each other – they’re such a big part of our lives. We’re going to miss them living so close to us!

And, tomorrow, if all goes as planned, I’m having lunch with, and meeting for the first time, Snooty and her visiting from afar bovine guests. I’m excited!! And Suzan will be with us, as well. We’re all a bunch of heifers* anyway (sorry, Fred, just deal with it) and I’m really looking forward to meeting Snooty! Flea may not recognize her “babees” when they come home – they’ve already been exposed to the oilpatch, and Snooty’s idea of golf, and now…they’re going to meet me. They may never be the same again!

*The term “heifer” in my family is not an insult, but a term of endearment, so no PIW** allowed.

**Panties in a wad