Ranger the Beagle: 2/11/1996 - 3/31/2010

We had to put Ranger to sleep this evening as a result of a large tumor causing him extreme discomfort and other complications.

He was my first real dog from pup through the end.

A few highlights include climbing Redcloud Peak in Colorado, playing "Touch Ranger" with Bill and Casey in Mom's backyard, trudging through the snow in Pittsburgh on walks (he had his root canal in Pittsburgh too). I was amazed how he liked to jump up and walk on walls. And, of course, hiking in the Lake Tahoe area. The below still remains one of my favorite pictures ever.



He had a good life and certainly made my life better as well...

One Weird Coupon

I was clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper this morning when I came across the one pictured. If you buy more eggs than anyone wants, you get a free 2 liter bottle of an obscure soft drink that nobody drinks. Weird stuff.

Can you sell a toilet on Craigslist?

The downstairs toilet in our place was never a great flusher... Adding to this was the fact that there was a very slow leak in the flapper. You could stop it temporarily by oiling the gasket and flapper but eventually the leaking / filling cycle would begin again.

It was an American Standard toilet that was perhaps made more for looks rather than functionality.



I'd finally had enough so replaced it with my favorite toilet... the Toto. If you aren't familiar with Toto it is one of the classic "flush and walk away" types of toilets.

Anyway - rather than loading the old crapper into the landfill I wondered if there was a market for used toilets on Craigslist so posted an add..fully disclosing the flapper should be replaced of course. I priced the toilet to move... $20. Afer about a week I got the call. Someone was interested so we met in front of Home Depot and did the exchange.

And the question is answered. Indeed you can sell a toilet on Craigslist.

Spring is Here!

We've started the Spring planting with new annuals in the pots and a few trees/perennials in the back. Jack, of course, helped.



The pot nears completion...



We also took a risk and planted some herbs and tomatoes. Hopefully no more frosts...

NCAA Thunderous 24 In Place!

The Thunderous 24 is in place and surprisingly it includes Georgia Tech and Michigan State...More surprisingly is the absence of Tourney #1 seed Kansas. While the KU ousting shocked the country it is a feeling KU fans are somewhat used to... here's the deal though...if there is a National Championship sandwiched between these shocks (as there is in Kansas' case) it is a trade most will make.

Go Jackets...go Sparties

Tourney Time! Hawks, Jackets, Spartans all Hoopin'

And all in the same Midwest bracket no less!

I'm partial to this "FOX Expert's Picks" though he has much more faith in Georgia Tech than I do...



Regardless, it is nice to just see Tech in tourney after a few years sitting at home. And they had a nice run to the finals of the ACC Tourney as well.



Hoop it up!

This Garlic Pepper Will Kill You

I saw this strange shaker of garlic pepper in the break room at work. It's strange for two reasons. First, it comes from a grocery store in Cabool, Missouri. I have no idea how it ended up in Nebraska. Second, it's strange because of the ingredients. It's called garlic pepper, but it contains no pepper. The first ingredient is salt, the fourth ingredient is MSG. Yes, this garlic pepper will kill you. I don't know if these are typical ingredients for garlic pepper. If they are, eater beware.

Empty Lot Across the Street

There's an empty lot across the street from us that is generally not much to look at. The other day, however, after a day of rain the sun was out and it was pretty cool with the reflection of the oak tree in the puddle.

Ben & Jerry Begin Rolling Out Summer Flavors

Out of these four flavors, I bought Boston Cream Pie. It's pretty darn good if you like boston cream. Erin was disappointed I didn't choose Milk & Cookies, so that'll probably the next flavor we try.

Sheriff Jack

Jack came home from school with a sherrif badge on last week..along with a shirt full of crumbs.

Kansas Based Idiot Group Strikes Out in Folsom

As if California doesn't have enough crazies running around the Kansas based Westboro Church has taken to sending groups of protestors our way.

These hate mongers completely struck out in Folsom as a counter protest forced them to cancel as documented recently in the Folsom Telegraph newspaper.